05 Gone Round
by Kyeian
Summary: -COMPLETE- It's all the little things that matter, the day to day. Things change but remain the same...who's to say that those changes don't make the game? This is the fifth story of Chance or Circumstance. Rated M for mature
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Okay, so welcome to the fifth story of Chance or Circumstance. Let's start out with the notice, I do not own gundam wing, etc etc, standard disclaimer application. Secondly...I should probably note that stuff _does_ happen at the end of this story, but a lot of it is the 'in between' time, as it were. So, welcome aboard, I hope you enjoy the ride. Oh yeah, this story is rated for adult language and situations.

**Prologue**

Jaden stared down at the passport cards they'd used across the planet, then looked out the window at the miles and miles of ocean he could see around them. He'd become desensitized to the thrumming of the helicopter blades, and Qingfu had stopped talking long before.

"What are you looking at those for?" Qingfu muttered, glancing sidelong at him again. He had been for a while, but hadn't spoken before.

"I just..." Jaden sighed, shifting down where he sat. "It seems like that was all for nothing."

"If Ranger had gotten ahold of him," Qingfu noted, "which he would have if you hadn't grabbed him, where would he be now? Ten days? Eleven? Ranger would still have him."

Jade nodded, staring out the windows, then looked back down to the cards. When the boy had pointed out that he could have worked _with_ Yuy, it hadn't meant much...but over the flight, he'd had a lot of time to think.

If he'd have just gone to Yuy, he'd have had protection. He'd have had to give up information, though, and he did still have friends in the psychotic rebels group.

It didn't matter, though, really. He'd said if they caught Ranger, he'd give them the boy—and he'd seen Barton all over Ranger. That meant they had him, and probably the guys who worked for Rab, too. They wouldn't let Ranger escape a second time.

He looked down to the cards, then moved from his seat.

"What are you doing?" Qingfu demanded as he slid the door open. "Jaden...if you fall you'll die."

Jaden tossed the cards, watching as they hung almost suspended for a half second, then were torn brutally away.

"Are you _okay?_" Qingfu snapped. "I'm not in a god damn helicopter with a mad man am I?"

Jaden pulled the door closed and gave the guy a level look. "The less they find on us the better. Have you figured out how we're going to manage this? As soon as we come in to land, the military is gonna be all _over_ our ass—and you heard that man. We don't have enough fuel to fly all the way into base."

"And that would be stupid anyway," Qing agreed, rolling his eyes. "If you take the helm, I'll go check out what this machine _has_."

"You have been flying a few hours," Jaden noted, looking around. "You're aware that I only know the basics of this, right?"

"See this?" he tapped the compass. "Keep going this way. You don't have to go up or down or anything...just keep going this way."

"You're a real peach," Jaden informed him, pulling out a sharpee from his pocket. He drew the dash on the compass, then looked to Qingfu.

Qingfu gave him a wry look, then switched the controls over. That done, he shifted back a moment, giving the other an amused look as the man actually gained control. He never understood why people had trouble with steering things. Planes, helicopters, cars...even mobile suits. None of them were hard to do. The only thing was knowing how the machine worked.

He rubbed his eyes, shaking his head, then moved out of the seat. "I think my brain died," he muttered. "This long with the rotors drives me nuts."

"Am _I_ in a damn helicopter with a mad man?" Jaden demanded, though that only had part of his attention.

"Yes?" Qingfu made an amused noise. "You can't honestly tell me you only just realized it."

Jaden chuckled.

Qingfu rolled his eyes and moved toward the back of the machine. They really _did_ need to find a way to land without being swarmed-under...and they were running out of time.

- -

"Hey...hey, you."

Lifon turned to give Trowa a perplexed look....and squeaked.

Matty turned to look at her...then the box Trowa was offering his sister. The design on the cover was one of the sun shining around the earth...but instead of the planet, it was a lavender-purple phone. He considered the lavender thing as she started to demand if he was serious, not taking the thing from his hand. He explained that he'd agreed to get it for her for a smile, and that made her beam.

Matty looked levelly to Taofa.

The man quirked his eyebrows, then rolled his eyes when the girl looked to him uncertainly—asking his permission, asking if that was serious. The response was less than explanatory, but Trowa offered it again.

She squeaked and yanked it from his hand before throwing herself up to hug him.

Trowa laughed and reassured her that it was nothing—he told _her_ that he'd done it because he wanted to help her forget the stress of what had been going on.

"If you want to strangle him," Heero muttered quietly in his ear, "you might wait for her to be gone."

Matty snickered at that, leaning over to kiss him quickly.

"What happened to laying in your room for a few hours?" Taofa muttered as the girl's concentration fell to the box and Trowa sat beside her on the arm of the couch.

"Well, I seem to have this little sister who never shuts up," he noted.

"_You_ were the one who kept talking," she retorted, looking up long enough to make a face at him.

Granted, she still hadn't gotten the box open.

Matty sighed and gestured to Trowa.

Trowa actually laughed, then composed himself and looked down to Li, offering a hand. She was glaring up at him suspiciously as he took the thing from her...and pulled a knife out of somewhere behind him.

"Where did that come from?" Li demanded, using his legs to pull herself up so she could look around behind him.

"Don't _crawl_ on him," Matty ordered her irritably. "You're underage."

"I am _not_ crawling on him!" Li retorted, dropping back to glower at him. "He pulled a knife out his ass!"

"Li," Taofa snapped.

"Butt," she corrected quickly. "He pulled a knife out his butt, and..."

"It was in my pocket," Trowa retorted, sliding the blade through the tape and giving her a look.

"Thank you," she muttered, doing a cute thing at him.

Matty eyed Trowa, watching for any signs that the man was _looking_ at his sister.

"Your concern for your sister is sweet," Taofa noted, "but I talked to Barton and he made his intentions clear."

"And what did I tell you?" Trowa asked the man, indicating Matty. "I told you if looks could kill you'd be planning my funeral or explaining things to the cops."

Taofa laughed genuinely at that.

"I'm going to put Pax on that," Trowa noted, yawning as he looked around. "And Heero can drop Pan on it."

She looked excitedly to Heero, who smiled back at her, then looked to Trowa with interest.

He'd made his intentions clear? He was putting Pax and Pan on it? Matty studied Trowa, considering that information instead of the fact that the man had noted that females his age were interesting to him. Honestly, his only trouble with the notion of Li getting with him was that she was sixteen. If they actually became a couple, he'd treat her right, but he said so many lewd things that Matty couldn't be comfortable with that. He didn't want his sister used, let alone before she was even legal...but those were musings for another time.

"I told you," Taofa noted, "we talked. He was trying to make me get an AS model phone..."

"No, I was trying to _buy_ you one," Trowa retorted. "But you pulled the same crap with me that you were trying to on Heero."

"I don't want handouts," Taofa snapped at him.

Li stopped...she had the phone turning on in her hands, and looked up to the man with such a look of uncertainty in her eyes that Matty felt bad for her.

"Trowa's just a lecher," Matty muttered to distract her. "For a few smiles he'll buy you things, and for a kiss..."

She guffawed, blushing and throwing one of the cards from the box at him.

"I don't appreciate that," Trowa said in a serious voice. "I don't appreciate you assuming that I'm lusting after your sister."

Matty blinked, looking back to him—the seriousness of his tone lent the words weight.

Heero started muttering quietly to him in Spanish.

"Sorry," Matty apologized to them both. "I didn't mean to actually be rude."

Li frowned, looking up to their father a moment as she raised a thumb to her mouth. She focused back on the phone a moment, then looked back up to Trowa. "I shouldn't take this..." she muttered quietly. "Dad's right. I don't really need a new phone, and it's..."

"To be completely and utterly honest," Trowa noted, looking back down to her, "I'd be twenty times more at ease if you did have it. The program Pax will secure your phone...and Heero adding Pan to it will make it so no one..._no_ one, can hack into it. With Pan on it, we'll be able to know if you still have it, your heart rate, your location...and anyone who touches it. We can turn it back on when it's been turned off, too. I don't think you're in danger, neither you or your father...but it would honestly put my mind to rest."

Li stared at him a long moment, then looked around to Taofa.

"He told me what the basics are to run Pax and Pan," Taofa noted. "I figure in the next month or so, I'll get that same model," he indicated hers. "Only not purple...and then you can show me how to use it."

She smiled slightly at that, then looked around to Matty.

"I'm getting one later," Matty noted. "And unlike you, I might _need_ the safety features."

"I hope you don't think that's something to be _proud_ of," she retorted.

"_I_'ve been to Paris."

"And you didn't _see_ it," she gave him a disbelieving look. "It doesn't count if you didn't see it!"

"I was _drugged_," Matty protested, looking around for commiseration...then saw the expression on his father's face. He and his sister both fell quiet as the man moved to drop into the remaining armchair, resting his elbows on his knees and rubbing at his mouth with one hand as he looked across the room.

"I'm sorry," Heero said quietly, studying his face. "I know...you have to think..."

"Heero," Taofa muttered, looking around to Heero pointedly, "whether or not you'd been in space when we went out there, he still would have gone to 27 that day on that shuttle. You can't change that. They'd have grabbed him anyway."

"But if it wasn't for us, Hanager wouldn't have focused on him..."

"Are you so sure about that?" Taofa asked quietly. "A young earth-boy playing in outer space? No. I think...Hanager...would have focused on him anyway," he looked to Matty a moment. "And I think things would have played out a little less to our liking. I suppose, if that was the case, he wouldn't have gotten kidnapped," he gestured toward the old apartment. "But...what would have happened instead? If it hadn't been for you five, there would have been no rescue attempt. Instead of one night it could have been months...so don't apologize to me for saving my son."

Heero receded, studying his face.

"My wife would be having kittens," he noted in amusement, not looking at any of them and running his hands across his face and into his hair. "She'd be absolutely beside herself...she probably would have went with you after him," he added, looking up to Heero. He studied the other's face a long time, then looked around to Li.

"_What?_" she demanded, lowering the phone to pout at him. "Shouldn't I have wanted to go?"

"What?" Matty asked, looking around to his father again.

"Li threw an absolute fit," the man explained, smiling slightly. "She demanded to go with Max...Heero. She demanded to go with Heero when he started chasing after you."

"What did you think you'd do?" Matty asked, looking around to his sister.

"I was going to gauge his eyes out!" she raised her right hand—which had very long painted nails—and made a claw. "I was going to tear out his hair and kick him in the balls so he could _never_ breed!"

Trowa, who'd been companionably sitting beside her, shifted his legs slightly closed as he studied that hand, then looked up to exchange a look with Heero.

"Feisty," Duo noted in amusement, leaning forward to study her eyes. "Are those nails sharp enough to gauge?"

She thought about that a moment, turning her hand to study the nails herself...then reached over and dug them into Trowa's arm.

"Shit!" Trowa snapped, sliding backwards off the couch as she pulled her hand away quickly.

Matty started snickering, looking around to his dad briefly, then to Heero.

"So...it's a family trait," Heero muttered, blinking at the sixteen year old.

Matty started _laughing_.

"What?" Li asked, looking around to them in confusion. "What do you mean? Why is he laughing like that?"

"Uh...never mind," Heero muttered, rising to his feet and _not_ looking to Taofa.

"Their mother had claws," Taofa noted to Trowa who was picking himself up and eying the girl warily. "She kept them nice and strong—I'm sure Li's are plenty able to gauge."

Li grinned at that, pressing the nails against her own skin.

"I'll get us drinks," Heero said brightly. "Anyone else want drinks?"

Matty laughed harder, giving his father an innocent look when Taofa focused on him.

"Is this a good color?" Lifon asked Trowa, her entire manner sweetness and light as she showed him her fingernails.

"Li," Taofa chided. "The man obviously doesn't want to think about your nails, and why would you ask a _straight_ man about _colors?_"

"Straight?" Duo asked wickedly, bouncing happily to his feet as they all turned to look at him. "I'm going to...help Heero with the drinks," he decided...and bounced across the room.

Quatre laughed quietly, shaking his head. "Personally, I like the more...earthy tones," he noted to the girl. "The blue is a bit much, especially with that nonsense," he indicated the blue mark one of his soldiers had made on Matty's temple.

She grinned happily at him, then raised the phone charger, studying it like she was utterly perplexed before looking around.

Trowa took it from her, smiling slightly before moving to plug it in.

Matty snickered.

Li flashed him a brief warning glance, then smiled winningly at the man. "Thank you."

Trowa nodded, eyeing her skeptically as he glanced to Matty. Heero and Duo moved back into the room with cans and juice-boxes, of all things. They passed them around easily, setting the leftovers on the table as Heero opened a juice-box...and gave it to Matty.

Matty blinked at Heero as he sat again.

"So, Matty," Taofa noted happily as his daughter went back to playing on her phone—he wasn't going to point out that she was manipulating Trowa. The man needed to figure _that_ out on his own. "What are you going to do now?"

Matty yawned, covering his mouth with his hand. "Sorry...I hurt," he added, looking to Heero uncertainly.

"You have your pain meds," Heero noted, looking at his watch. "It's about time."

"They...make me tired," Matty admitted, frowning at him.

Heero pursed his lips, then nodded, rising to his feet.

"But...I don't know," Matty added, looking back to his father. "I guess...since Ranger isn't out there anymore I could go back to work."

"Or, you know, school," Lifon gave him a brief look.

Matty blinked at that, thinking about it.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" Trowa muttered, glancing down at the girl.

"Me or her?" Matty retorted.

Trowa's eyes held a statement that Matty knew would piss his father off—but evidently Trowa did, too. He shrugged slightly. "Whichever of you answered first."

"I'm going to be a doctor," Li said without even looking up. "He'll never grow up, so why bother asking?"

Matty snorted at her.

"See?" she looked up to stick her tongue out at him, then looked back to the phone.

"She has a while before we can call her Dr. Williams," Taofa noted.

She started giggling, looking up to her father.

"I don't know what I want to do," Matty admitted, thinking about it. "And lately I haven't really had the...time...to think it through."

Quatre's phone stared ringing.

Quatre blinked, pulling it out and studying the number a moment. "Hello?" He listened, and a slight smirk crossed his face. "Oh, shit...we didn't get back in touch with you, did we?" he grinned more, looking around to Matty. "Well...here...I'll let him talk to you." He moved across the intervening space and passed the phone to Matty.

"Hello?" Matty asked blankly.

"Matt?" Blake asked. "Hey. I've been calling your phone but it's going directly to voicemail."

Matty's jaw dropped.

"Who is it?" Taofa asked blankly, looking around.

"I'm _so_ sorry!" Matty muttered, looking to Heero, who was giving him a concerned look as he moved from their room. "Oh man...Blake..." he started laughing weakly, then groaned. "Listen, my dad and sister are here right now...can I call you back after a bit? It'll be from...this phone," he looked around to Quatre.

Quatre shrugged indifferently.

"Why? What's wrong with your phone? Wait..." the guy hesitated. "Those MS attacked a building...that wasn't..."

"Yeah, it was," Matty agreed. "My phone ended up under a fifteen or thirty foot brick wall."

"_Holy_ shit...are you okay? I mean...that sounded like you hurt."

"I'm gonna have to call you back," Matty noted, smiling slightly. "I need to call my other friends and...and we're supposed to go out to dinner...and...I have to _get_ a new phone. So..."

"Right," Blake muttered. "I get it...sorry to bother you. Call me? When you get a phone?"

"Even if I don't, it should be later tonight that I get back to you," Matty reassured him. "Talk to you later?"

"All right," the man sounded happy at that. "Later."

- -

Heero wondered if Matty was getting bothered by how often he grabbed him, but he couldn't help it. _Feeling_ Matty in his arms, even if it was just one around his waist, was like a burst of pleasure...like the moment when they'd been standing at the edge of the helipad looking down at Trowa...the realization that he _had_ him.

He loosed his hold again, shoving his hands into his pockets. Lifon and he were chattering about the phones in the case.

"Here you go," Trowa muttered, setting a fountain drink beside the girl.

"Thank you!" she beamed up at him, and he moved to join Heero, drinking from his own cup.

"The day I tell her no," Trowa noted quietly, falling in beside Heero, "will probably give her a heart attack."

Heero grinned at that, studying his friend. "What _are_ you doing?"

Trowa shrugged. "She's cute, she's sweet...she's here. Not much more to it than that—aside from how much it annoys your boy."

"You aren't going to lead her on, are you?" Heero protested, looking around to meet his eyes.

"No," Trowa retorted. "At this point she's leading me on."

Heero gave him a look.

Trowa chuckled, then looked around. "I'm gonna go find Fei and Jin," he noted. "They were talking about looking at clothes."

Heero nodded, watching him walk off. Their whole group was scattered through the mall. Taofa had been waiting with Heero, but Matty wasn't in any particular rush, so the man had wandered off as well.

"This one?" Matty turned to Heero with a phone in his hand. "Will this do?"

Heero moved forward, sliding in beside his lover and taking the machine. He started flicking through options, then into the system information.

"This phone is on sale for the next three days," the clerk noted happily. "I have this model and..."

"It'll annoy you," Heero noted, realizing belatedly that he'd cut the clerk off. "Once Pax is on it..."

"Uh..."

"He's a guru," Lifon noted reassuringly to the woman. "We might think the phone is cute, but he'll say if it's worth it or not."

"Honestly," Heero noted, setting the phone down and nodding at Li, "the one like she has will probably be the best bet."

Lifon gave Matty a look, then bounced and turned to the case, tapping it with one of her nails. "They have green," she pointed out.

Matty shrugged at that, then noted the blue one. "I like that..."

"It'll match his car?" she asked, smirking slightly as she looked up to Heero.

"If a girl can get lipstick to match," Heero noted, "why can't a guy get a phone?"

She giggled, looking to her blue nails. "It's too bad I don't have the dark sparkly kind...I have the light sparkly," she displayed her nails for him. "If I got the dark sparkly it'd match."

"You don't _need_ to match his car," Matty retorted.

"You haven't stole one of his boyfriends before, have you?" Heero demanded.

The pair exchanged a glance, and Matty dipped down to study the phones better.

"I didn't mean to?" she asked.

Heero smacked a hand to his face.

She laughed. "Just kidding, I didn't. I guess he had one who was all keen on the idea of us both in bed, though."

"Nice," Heero muttered dryly.

"There is a reason I didn't stay with him," Matty retorted, rising again and indicating the thing to the woman. "I'm gonna just go with the command decision thing and get that."

She grinned, turning to another shelf.

"I didn't realize he was a pervert," she added, "so I kept trying to hang out and couldn't figure out why Matt was so pissy about it."

Heero grinned at that.

"If you even _hint_," Matty noted, "I will kick you in the balls and walk away."

"I'm not _that_ perverted," Heero retorted.

"Say what now?" Taofa asked, coming back to them with a skeptical expression.

Li grinned at him sweetly. "I suggested a picture for Matty to put on his phone and Max didn't appreciate it."

"Li," Taofa reprimanded, then shook his head to Heero. "And you know why she suggested it? He'd probably give it to her."

Li and Matty burst into laughter, and focused totally on the woman explaining her phone.

Heero looked between them, then back to Taofa.

"He talked one of his...friends into, uh, posing," Taofa noted. "After they split up, he ended up showing it to her and they laughed for like...an hour. I came in and snatched the thing from him...and I really just want to warn you not to pose for him."

Heero snickered—it'd been suggested a time or two, but he knew the sort of shit Duo did with his little pictures and videos, and was smart enough not to agree.

"I suppose you're old enough to know better anyway," the man added. "Or at the very least, conceited enough not to care."

Heero smirked at that.

"So that phone is good, huh?" he added, indicating the thing. "Rigel was in here earlier forever, looking through options. He kept going back to that one, then when the woman tried to say she didn't have any purples, he noted that he'd just take his business elsewhere...I don't know what all, but he got her to dig for Li's."

"It's probably the best one out right now in that price range."

"It sucks that I lost all my info," Matty muttered, turning to look at Heero.

Heero moved up to hold him again, feeling that same jolt of pleasure and leaning in for a quick kiss. The notion of the guy's family going away had some serious appeal, but he wasn't going to press that. He dug into his pocket, pulling out his wallet and flicking it open.

"I'm buying it myself," Matty said quietly. "I don't want you buying me everything."

"I'm not trying to," Heero retorted. "Here," he pulled out a slim case. The things normally held SD card, but the only part left _of_ Matty's phone had been the sim card.

"Ooh!" Matty leaned up to kiss him excitedly, turning back to start opening the package.

Heero grinned slightly, then realized that Li was looking at him. He shifted back and met her eyes with interest.

"He a good kisser?" she demanded, kicking her brother's leg.

"Lifon," Taofa reprimanded.

"Damn good," Matty reassured her as he slid the card into its spot under the battery. "You have no idea _how_ good...we'll have to talk it through some time when Dad's not around."

Taofa kicked Matty much the same way Li had.

Matty started laughing.

"So _that's_ why he's so abusive," Heero noted, studying the man.

The guy laughed as Matty turned to grin at him. He leaned down to Matty's ear, looking up to make sure Li couldn't hear. "I think tonight," he whispered, "if you're up to it...I'll _give_ you something to talk about."

Matty laughed wickedly, pulling back to meet his eyes.

Taofa sighed. "Just remember he's got fractured ribs," the man suggested, moving to lean against the counter. "Ma'am?" he added before the woman could move further away. "I think I'll get the green model."


	2. One

**A/N:** Wow. It was only just pointed out to me that this chapter hadn't been pasted here. rarr. sorry all. here we go.

- -

**One**

Quatre was amused to move into the meeting room and see Blake Kiardane and Colonel Kiardane down the aisle. Blake looked up, and his eyes lit up. Matt, who'd been following along after Quatre messaging Heero on his phone, looked up and made an approving sort of noise before darting down to meet the other male about halfway. They were talking instantly, and Matty seemed to feel the need to show off his shoes.

Sure, they were new and he'd only gotten them before they'd headed into base, but really?

Quatre grinned—it had been an impulse gift, and evidently it had succeeded.

The colonel, who was still behind Blake, shook his head as Matt more or less posed. Matt and Blake both started laughing, not seeming to realize, or maybe care, that they were in the middle of a fairly large auditorium. The laughter was definitely a sound of youth, and the other soldiers in the room turned to look at them in confusion.

Neither had any military rank, but Matt could issue commands and get away with it.

Blake followed Matt happily back to Quatre, where he saluted and started chattering about wanting new shoes and liking Matt's. The teen was still texting Heero, though, so within moments the conversation turned into admiring the phone again, then giggling as quietly as they could manage because the thing _did_ match Heero's car. Matty'd gotten ahold of some of his sister's glitter nail-polish.

In that same vein—Heero's car very blue—the girl had found blue face-paint, and she kept the mark on her temple. Because Matt loved Quatre _so_ much, and Lifon loved _Matt_ so much, the girl had picked up a tube for him as well.

It was enough to make Quatre want to pound his head against the wall...and if he mentioned to either Matt or Heero about the paint, they'd give him confused looks. Lifon, in her ultimate sixteen-year-old glory, pretended she hadn't heard him comment.

He had to admit that he liked the girl, though. She was sweet, and it was hilarious to watch her think she was manipulating Trowa. Quatre didn't know why she didn't realize he was doing it all on whim—but then again, maybe she _did_ know it was a whim and was making the most of it. He wasn't going to pick _that_ relationship apart, because he didn't trust what he'd come up with.

He wasn't planning on telling anyone, but he didn't particularly approve of Trowa catering to her the way he did. It just seemed to be asking for trouble.

It had been two weeks since Heero had recovered Matt, and during that two weeks, every day that Blake had a day off from work, he'd show up at the apartment. Lifon tended to show up on a daily basis, after school. It'd gotten to the point that one of the doormen, either Allen or Sean, had taken it upon themselves to make her a pass-card for the elevator.

Quatre still wasn't entirely sure what he thought of those days with Matt, Blake, and Li there—though they were much quieter than the days when Taili and Abel would show up. Matt, Taili, and Abel had a tendency to pull out the game machine and hook it up to Heero's expensive-ass tv and play it for hours. They played race games, role-playing games...and war-games. Many of those games seemed to require jumping out of your seat at random intervals and making loud disbelieving noises as your friends either shouted approval or shouted you down. At certain points, those games also seemed to require dropping the controller and turning around to pound the back of the couch in frustration while the others laughed.

But, still, the last time Blake and Lifon had shown up, Li had brought out a bottle of deep conditioner and gotten Matt to help her do her hair, then had done his, then they'd done Blake's...and tried for Heero or Trowa before latching onto Quatre with insistence that the dye in his hair had dried it out horribly.

In the end, he'd been drug into their little party, sitting around the kitchen table with towels wrapped around their head as Blake painted the nails of one of Lifon's hands, and Matt read a quiz out for their amusement.

He didn't understand _why_ they'd made him do it, and his responses had made them giggle repeatedly because he was such a _guy_.

Wasn't that Heero's place? It was Heero's boyfriend...Duo'd come up at one point to observe, and made a comment that Quatre hadn't fully understood that had made all three of the others laugh with wicked delight as he looked up at his boyfriend skeptically—which, somehow, made them laugh the harder.

He'd been very happy to rinse the conditioner out and find something else that he _really_ needed to do before supper.

It hadn't been obvious at first, but as the week wore on, Quatre'd come to realize that Matt would latch onto him and drag him into whatever they were doing—all of it but the war-games on the machine. He tended to follow Quatre to the base during the days, too, and it was becoming obvious to Quatre that the kid had no idea what to do with himself since he had no work or school.

At the same time, they'd decided that Matty had been abducted and held hostage enough for one lifetime, so until further notice, they wanted to keep him with one of them. The others had to work during the day, which meant that when Quatre _did_ leave the apartment, Matt would go with him. He'd let the guy stay behind one time, and when he'd gotten back a few hours later, the guy was still in his room, curled up in the furthest corner of his and Heero's bed.

Quatre had forgotten there were people working on the old apartment, which meant people coming up and down all day long and yelling to each other. Every now and again, one of the workers would come to the temporary door that had been set up and ask for things—usually a phone or cup.

All of that aside, Quatre was tired of being put off. He'd been able to test a goodly number of men for loyalty...and he was willing to admit that the blue mark showing up on their temples was his fault. He'd been complaining to some of them about not being able to tell by looking, and about wanting Matt to be able to tell at a glance.

"Brigadier," Colonel Kiardane greeted him, saluting as he stopped near. "We've gathered the officers, as you requested."

"Wonderful," Quatre started, then narrowed his eyes.

The man had the blue mark.

He grinned innocently. "Also, sir, the bus you requested is at the port, awaiting your guests. We've made a wing ready for them on the north end of the base. Sir? May I ask who these visitors are?"

"No," Quatre reassured him.

"Quatre," Matty protested, moving up to his side. "Don't be mean. That's Blake's dad."

"I'm not being mean. He asked if he could ask me a question and I told him he can't." Quatre gave the younger man a look. "It was nice of me to respond instead of reprimanding him."

Matty rolled his eyes and looked to Blake.

"What am I doing here?" Blake asked happily. "Dad said you asked that I come."

"Today is going to be a long day," Quatre explained. "And later on, the other Brigadiers will come—as their work day ends."

Kiardane flinched at that.

"So I figured if you came, Matt would have something to do. As long as you don't shake my soldiers, you guys can run all over the base."

"Or as much of it as civilians can access," Blake noted dryly.

"Oh, you might be surprised," Quatre reassured him. "But I want you to wait until I get things underway."

Kiardane sighed. "They're space-hearts, aren't they?" he muttered quietly. "You're bringing the space-hearts you used on 25 down to clean this base. Does that mean you're recoding our database and access keys?"

"Well, it's not going to be as drastic as 25," Quatre reassured him, stopping at the bottom of the stairs that led to the stage and podium. "We have a different situation here." He eyed Matty, who bounced passed him and up to the podium. Some of the soldiers quieted expectantly, but most recognized him as a civilian.

"What difference, if I might ask?"

"You don't have the same background ops as 25. The security level here is considerably lower. I've already cleared the men who need that clearance—I did it the first day I got back here. After I did them, they stopped cooperating so much. I'd have had this base swept clean if they hadn't."

"Ah," the man frowned, then looked at his son. "Get down from there," he muttered.

Blake and Matty gave him almost identical curious looks, then bounced away from the Podium.

Matty stopped before going far, though, and set a pen back on the thing. He smiled happily at Quatre, then turned and moved back to join them. "Where you stashing me, boss-man?"

Quatre pointed at the room. It was an office off the main room. "But I'd rather you not run off until Lieutenant Patel shows up with his men."

Matty nodded, moving to sit on the edge of the stage, then blinked at the blue mark on Kiardane's temple. He considered that a moment, then looked to Quatre. "How about him?" he indicated Blake.

"Why would I think his son," Quatre indicated the colonel, "had anything to do with the bad guys?"

"Because he's cute?" Matty offered.

Quatre gave him a skeptical look, then focused on Blake. He shrugged after a moment and nodded to Matty. He didn't see the point, but there was also no harm in reading the kid—he knew Blake wouldn't be up to no good, so why upset Matt?

The grin he got in response for that simple confirmation suggested that Blake would wear the blue mark when on base after this.

The thing was, he kind of appreciated the reasoning behind the stupid thing. Wufei insisted up and down it was because everyone liked the color of his eyes, but Quatre had a feeling it had more to do with the stupid color being his preference. He knew very well that Matt appreciated it, too. If a soldier showed up without the mark on his temple, the teen tended to hang back near Quatre, even to the point of annoying officers. With the marking on his id card reading him as Heero's espoused—that wasn't the same as marriage, and Yuy dictated special circumstances to his will—he could _be_ in those meetings, even when people didn't appreciate it.

All in all, the blue mark served the purpose of putting the teen at ease, which had been the intent to begin with. He'd told Patel he'd wished there was something...but he was thinking in circles. The man had come up with the idea of blue-paint...and hadn't mentioned it to Quatre. Actually, there was a chance that blue was the last color wherever he bought the stuff.

"Brigadier," Patel stopped near the two men and saluted them. "Colonel."

"Ah, Patel," Quatre muttered, looking around to Matty. "He might try to throw a tantrum, but I'd like you to keep him in that room until I get the stuff in swing here. It will be...twenty minutes or so." He glanced at his watch. "When will my guests be arriving, Colonel?"

"It shouldn't take more than ten minutes," the man reassured him, glancing at his own watch.

"Very well," Quatre looked back to Patel. "So when the speech starts, you can let them wander, but stay with them," he indicated Blake. "This is Blake Kiardane, Colonel Kiardane's son. He's a friend of Mattox, and I asked him to join us today so Mattox didn't completely lose his mind."

The man nodded.

"Note that the other brigadiers, especially Yuy, are allowed near him and can order you out of the room. No other officers, no matter their rank, are given that privilege."

Patel's expression soured briefly before he nodded and saluted.

"Later," Matty muttered happily to Quatre and Kiardane, then turned to bounce toward the room.

"I need to check it!" Patel protested, darting around Matty to stop him. "I need to check it, and I need to get my guys to secure it."

"Well..." Matty gave him a sour look. "Hurry?"

"Sir," the man retorted dryly. He and Matty got along in a sort of...strange way. They seemed to always be trying to annoy each other, but Quatre could tell Patel was fully intending to give up his life before letting Matty out of his sight, and Matty was completely willing to obey him. The bickering almost seemed more a way to pass the time than anything else.

He shook his head, turning and heading up the stairs as the room started to quiet again. The former-blond had to stop, though, when he realized _why_ Matt had _had_ a pen when Kiardane had chased them away from the podium.

The top sheet of paper which had been left there for Quatre to write on, had one sentence written in large letters.

_I miss you all night long, poppi_.

Quatre closed his eyes and turned the paper over...then noted laughter. He looked around to where Blake and Matty were standing at the door of the little room, looking innocent.

Quatre pulled out his phone, pulling up a text to the teen. _You miss me all night long, so we play all day?_

Matty guffawed and showed Blake, who started laughing as well, and the pair started into the room. Matty took a moment to give Quatre a coy look, then disappeared.

Quatre cleared his throat, muting his phone and tucking it away. He looked around the room as the various officers—some of which had the blue mark on their temple—fell silent.

"Good afternoon," Quatre greeted them happily. "As you all know, for the past month, I've been requesting a base-wide sweep by space-hearts. So far, the only answer I've been given is 'maybe tomorrow'," he looked them all over levelly. "And as we all know, tomorrow never comes...but ladies and gentlemen, tomorrow came today."

Various officers started to sit up, and some few tried to protest.

"As a brigadier general of the ESA," he noted loudly, "I have called in men to help me finish checking this base. It's too bad for you all," he added happily as people started to groan. "If you hadn't put me off time and again, I could have done this in shifts. I would have willingly worked with all of you, but you made me play my hand, so we all get to sit here and hang out until my guests arrive within the next ten minutes, and then we'll start the presentation. Think innocent thoughts, ladies and gentlemen, because any that my men find questionable will go into confinement until the matter is cleared."

The room fell silent.

"I'm done being subtle," Quatre summed, studying them all over. "And really, this way is _so_ much faster." He looked them all over, noting the utter silence. "Seeing as we probably have twenty minutes before things are enough in order to continue, does anyone have anything they want to discuss?"

- -

"It allowed Hanager to escape to _this_ colony," the recording of Duo pounded the podium with his hand. "To _this_ colony. The rebels planned extensively and in secret—not throwing up any warning signs of their discontent with the hope that if their first plan failed, they'd have men free to enact any _further_ plans they came across."

Heero smirked slightly as he moved into the auditorium, looking around briefly. Several guards were eyeing him, and he moved up to one with a blue mark on his temple. "Where's Williams?"

"Why do you want to know?" the man demanded sharply.

"Because I want to lay him on a table and fuck him," Heero retorted. "Look at me, man..."

The soldier was startled, then actually focused on Heero's face. He looked embarrassed a moment, then pointed up the wall to a door.

"Don't take me wrong," Heero said quietly. "I actually appreciate you taking care. I'm just not used to people questioning me."

"I'm sorry, Brigadier," the man saluted.

Heero nodded at him, then blinked at the screen as it showed the shot of Relena crying that Trowa had taken from his laptop.

"That's right," the recording of Duo added, leaning against the podium. "The rebels—or let's be blunt. The former Colonel Marshal Gerrange of the forty-first MS Unit A...A.K.A. Rabid, A.K.A. Rab A.K.A Marsh...."

Heero moved up to the door to the room, giving the soldier a speculative look when the man shifted his weapon. After a moment, he nodded slightly and tapped on the door...before moving out from in front of it.

Heero moved into the office...or meeting room...or whatever it normally was, and looked around at the soldiers who had weapons tilted in his direction. "Hi," he said.

"Heero!" Matty muttered excitedly, bouncing over the back of a couch. He wound in and out of chairs—there was a large table with chairs pulled out in the middle of the room—until he could throw his arms around Heero's neck and kiss him. "Hey...how was work?"

"Dismal without you," Heero retorted.

One of the soldiers snorted.

Heero eyed the man, who pretended to be looking at the far wall with interest.

"That was beyond corny," Matty noted, kissing him again. "When did you decide to say it?"

"At lunch, when you were telling me that the soldiers were getting you take-out."

Matty sniggered, kissing him again.

"Brigadier," Blake muttered, saluting Heero—he hadn't stood.

"Kiardane," Heero returned, nodding his head slightly. He was never quite sure what to make of the guy. Matty had told him that he and Kiardane would call Heero the perfect man, and even though Heero'd talked to Kiardane several times at Casto, they'd never really become friends. The man realizing _who_ he was had changed the relationship even more, mainly because he persisted in saluting them all. He'd been sitting in the kitchen of the apartment with his head wrapped in a towel, and had saluted Heero just as formally as if they were in a parade.

It'd taken Heero quite a bit of commenting to get the guy to stop standing to do that, and he doubted he'd have luck any time soon with getting him to stop saluting.

"Brigadier," several of the solders muttered, saluting him properly as well.

"Who's in charge here?" Heero asked, looking them all over.

"I am, sir," the guy who'd had the paint at the airport stepped forward.

"It's always Patel," Matty agreed, giving the guy a look. "You might watch out," he added in a loud whisper. "I think he likes my butt."

Heero laughed at that.

"With all due respect," Patel retorted, "I do _not_ like your ass, nor would I like it if you stopped shoving it in my face."

Matty laughed delightedly at that, looking up to Heero. "He was laying on the floor and I fell off the couch."

Heero grinned in response, then gave the solder a skeptical look. "What would I have to do to get you lot to clear out of here for say...fifteen minutes?"

The man sighed as Matty cackled and indicated Blake.

"I didn't say anything about him," Heero reassured his boyfriend.

Blake's cheeks flushed red as he turned properly where he sat and focused on the game.

Heero sniggered.

"You're bad," Matty informed him, pulling away. "And we are not clearing the room for fifteen minutes."

"Ooh, you want a half hour?"

Matty laughed at that and slid back over the couch.

"He's mean to me," Heero informed Patel. "You see that, don't you?"

The man grinned at him and shrugged noncommittally.

"Quatre said that no one but you and the others can chase these away," Matty indicated the men around the wall. "I was trying to get them to do a dance for me, but most of them don't know how."

Some of the soldiers snickered.

"And then no one will hold the weapons of the others."

More of the soldiers snickered at that, exchanging looks.

"I...missed a lot today, didn't I?" Heero muttered, looking them all over with interest. "Do I need to hit anyone?"

Matty tilted his head, considering the question, then shrugged and shook his head. "Nah, nothing worth it happened. Come sit with me and play a round before you go change into uniform."

"Who said I was changing into uniform?" Heero protested, moving happily to join him. "That's an interesting notion."

"You're on base, Quatre's giving the big speech, and you're going to pretend to me that you aren't going into your formal regalia? And you expect me to believe it?"

Heero snickered happily, sliding down to join him and nuzzle briefly at his ear—then noticed Blake looking at him. He grinned at the guy...which made him change focus quickly, then looked down to Matty.

"You," Matty noted, kissing him, "are bad. Go change."

"Wait, what?" Heero gave him a confused look. "I thought I was playing a round first."

"Then stop flirting with my friend," Matty muttered, "and we'll both be fine."

"You're fine anyway," Heero whispered in his ear, kissing at him again.

"I already told you we aren't clearing the room," the teen noted, meeting his eyes. "Don't get yourself worked up."

"I don't _need_ the room cleared," Heero whispered back, grinning wickedly. "Do you?"

...and for some reason that Heero could _not_ figure out...heh...Matty hit him.

- -

Duo yawned as he moved through the base halls toward the locker rooms. He needed to shower and get into his uniform. He could hear muttering from the auditorium, but not much else.

"Brigadier!"

Duo turned to look at the man with a rank tag moving up to him. He only studied the thing long enough to note that he didn't have to salute, then nodded his head.

"I only just got cleared," the man noted excitedly. "Doesn't that mean I can...I can get the spot?" he touched his temple. "I was under the impression that you had to be cleared to get it."

"Yes," Duo agreed—he'd had the blue spot on when he went to work, but he wasn't sure if it was still there or not.

At least they could finish the house by the next day. He was annoyed that the codes had changed while he was off saving LA. Victor had been quite irritated when he'd been doing his inspection—and demanded why Duo hadn't updated his coding rules.

Duo telling the man to shove it up his ass and do it himself had resulted in a tense moment of stand-off...for Victor, anyway. The man had looked ready to actually take a swing. Duo wouldn't have been too put off by the notion, really, but then he'd either have to start working at the base or find another job.

Neither option appealed.

"How does one go about getting this spot?" the man asked hesitantly.

Duo blinked, looking back to him. He hadn't realized the man had expected more from him—he'd just gone to Patel.

"Sir?" the soldier hesitated. "I'm bothering you, aren't I? I'm sorry, please..."

"Find Lieutenant Patel," Duo returned. "He was the one who started the marking, so he should have a clue as to where to get it."

"Thank you, sir," the man muttered. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I should be fine," Duo reassured him, shifting the hanger slightly. He had his uniform dangling down his back. "Thank you."

The man saluted, then stood waiting a moment before turning and heading off.

"There you are!" Quatre muttered, moving quickly up the hall to kiss him, then kiss him again. It took them a few moments to pull apart for air, and Duo had to smile. His day had just turned about ten times better, even with the testing going on. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to run through a shower," Duo explained. "Then come find you."

Quatre grinned at that, starting to walk with him. "How did your day go?"

"I was going to deck Victor," he noted, "but then it occurred to me that I wanted this job...so I refrained. I was going to deck Reg, but it occurred to me she'd rip my balls off...and I was going to deck the wall, but realized I'd have to replace it. How was your day?"

Quatre grinned, leaning up to kiss him again.

Duo sighed, feeling more of his tension draining away. "Are the others here then?"

He wasn't entirely sure why, but every question he asked was met with a kiss. At a certain point he stopped trying to ask questions that meant anything, and succeeded in making Quatre laugh. By the time he reached the locker room, he was in a very good mood.

"Why don't we...run through the officer's shower?" Quatre whispered, looking around. "Just in and out...no one the wiser."

Duo snickered at that. "You're in _uniform_, officer..."

"Don't make me say it," Quatre whispered, looking around. "It's uncouth...don't make me..."

Duo laughed happily, then turned toward the officer's area.

It didn't matter if he'd had a bad day...because that part was over.

- -

"I still don't know how I'm supposed to get on base without you here," Jinli informed Wufei happily from where he'd been leaning against the guard's hut. "The good soldiers deny me access because I'm not on any list, I don't have a visitor's pass, and I don't have a name tag. I keep thinking that I might...find the stuff ready...on the days I decide to come see if I can help...but it hasn't happened yet."

"You're a whiny bitch," Wufei informed him happily, taking a drink from his fountain drink. He looked to the soldiers standing around the hut, then pointed at his friend. "Get his damn passes made up—mark him as my espoused if you _have_ to...but get him on base when he shows up, or I will personally rip your hair out by the roots." He leaned forward, pulling the man's nametag up to read it and the rank it was marked with, then repeated the gesture to the other soldier. He eyed them both, then turned and started for the building again.

"Bad day?" Jinli asked, following happily after. "If I'm your espoused, shouldn't we be having benefits?"

"You know, you're really asking the wrong person," Wufei retorted, passing him his fountain drink.

Jinli snickered, popping the lid off to take a drink from the cup itself. "This is good..."

"That might be why I'm drinking it—or it might be a fashion trend. What do you think?"

Jinli snickered again. "I'm still debating if we need to discuss the finer details of that order you just gave those men."

Wufei laughed himself, moving so they were eye-to-eye. He'd seen Heero doing it to people before, and Trowa seemed to do it to Tim a lot...though why Trowa was taken into consideration was beyond him. "You wanna discuss it? In private?"

Jinli hit him in the stomach, and Wufei danced out of arm's reach before any further injury could be bestowed. Jinli passed him his drink back without looking at him, then looked around.

"Hm?" Wufei asked, pressing the lid on properly before taking another drink.

"What are we doing here? I mean...really? Shouldn't we be running around the colonies and arranging some big family reunion?"

Wufei considered his cup a long moment, then opened it again and tilted it carefully until he could get a piece of ice, starting to crunch on it.

"I mean..." Jinli went on as they entered into the building, "the rogue MS that weren't obliterated haven't shown up in...forever. There's no sign of that damned gundam...and you just told soldiers to mark me as your espoused to get me on base. Does any of that seem...normal...to you?"

"We're currently in a war," Wufei informed him pointedly. "And if I have to claim you as my damn lover to make things flow smoother, I'll claim you as my damn lover. Hell, at this point if you gave me a drink or five, I might _take_ you as my damn lover, so stop being all morose and thinking about the deeper meanings of life and try to think of something that could help us in the immediate future."

"You're...going to make me kick your ass, aren't you?" Jinli demanded, taking the cup from him and popping the lid off again.

"I'm grabbing two straws next time," Wufei noted, glowering at that a moment. "Where is everyone?"

"I've been standing at the gates waiting for you for a half an hour. I have no idea where _anyone_ is. It's like...five. Where the hell have you been?"

"After work I went and picked up groceries, fended off a pack of rabid paparazzi that somehow found me...picked Lifon up from school and took her home—got roped into a conversation with Taofa, and then had to find my uniform. As it turns out, Quatre brought my uniform with him so I could just come straight here, so then I had to scurry down here...and get bitched out by my nagging wife because I can't get him on base without the proper protocol."

Jinli snorted.

"So, how was your day?"

"I didn't get laid, I didn't get lunch, I didn't get the job I expected, and I didn't get onto base. I think we're about even."

"Wonderful...so who do you think has made it already? It's awfully quiet. Quatre must have pulled rank."

"That _would_ be what he said he was going to do," Jinli noted happily. "Where's your uniform?"

"If I knew that," Wufei informed him levelly, "I'd be heading to get it on so I could look properly impressive when someone hands you a card that claims you as my espoused."

Jinli gave him a level look.

Wufei started laughing. "And that just made my day...shall we, oh fire of my heart and bane of my loin?"

If Wufei hadn't been expecting it, Jinli would have kicked him upside the head. He laughed delightedly, and started running up the hallway.

It wouldn't do to get kicked upside the head, and he had a good few minutes before Jin decided to give up on the chase.

- -

"Uncle! Uncle!" Wufei was laughing hard as he ducked and dodged Jinli's blows. He'd gotten caught up on the door when he hit it—he hadn't hit the handle just right, so Jin had caught up. Wufei stumbled backwards, still laughing, then ran into someone.

Jin froze utterly, eyes going very wide as he focused on the person.

"Watch _out_, idiot," Quatre muttered, shoving him off a step.

Wufei was about to apologize to his friend when he realized his friend had just pulled his slacks back on.

"We seriously need a better hot water...uh...hi, Wufei. Jin." Duo had stopped in the door to the shower room.

"Oh you _didn't!_" Wufei protested, starting to laugh as he realized Quatre's hair had been towel-dried, but Duo hadn't gotten to his yet.

"Uh...of course not," Duo said, grinning wickedly at him. "Whatever are you talking about?"

"And those..._aren't_...fading marks on your neck," Jin noted, tiling his head. The marks looked like extremely light hickies, or possibly bites.

Wufei started laughing harder.

"Shit!" Duo muttered, slapping a hand to the spot and turning to the mirror just inside the stall. "Quatre!"

Quatre laughed wickedly, dropping onto the bench. He'd pulled his undershirt on, and was uncapping a deodorant package. "I don't care right now, you realize that don't you?"

Duo started laughing himself, then moved into the room properly.

"Where _is_ my uniform?" Wufei demanded of former blond. "And are you keeping the black or losing it? Your roots are starting to annoy me."

"In your locker," Quatre met his eyes a moment, then went back to tucking the under-shirt into his slack. He sighed after a moment, rising and stretching, then buttoned the pants.

"I should _so_ tell Trowa," Wufei noted, eyeing the guy skeptically. "Because not only is that a _serious_ breach in acceptable protocol...your afterglow makes you a dick, and I haven't gotten laid in an _age_."

Quatre chuckled wickedly, looking up to him with an expression that Wufei had to call evil.

He wouldn't win an argument. He knew he wouldn't, so he turned instead toward his locker.

"I put your slacks and shirt in there, too," Quatre noted to Jin. "We need to finish getting you set up around here."

"You might have to mark him as espoused," Duo noted thoughtfully, pulling his slacks up. "You realize that, don't you?"

"Yeah, he did," Jinli agreed dryly, then turned to follow Wufei into the main locker-area.

Wufei sighed. "It's either that, or you stop coming—or you only come when we come." He shook his head. "I guess you don't really have a reason to be here without us, but if shit goes down...I mean, it _is_ a war, even if it's not constant fire-fights and battle-lines. I would prefer you to get on base without questions asked, and to be able to relay orders if shit starts crashing and burning."

"I get it," Jinli reassured him, accepting his outfit and moving to another bench. "You really need to never call me a _wife_ again, but I get it."

Wufei smiled slightly at him, pulling the slacks on. He hesitated when he got to his jacket, though, studying the tags and honors that indicated his rank and past. He'd won the right through fire and blood. If he decided he wanted to, he'd probably be raised to an actual general with no questions asked.

"What?" Jinli muttered, butting his overshirt. "What's wrong?"

"I spent years hiding from this," he said quietly, studying the front of the thing. "I spent years wishing I had my friends back...and the only reason I found you is because some discontent war-rick veteran forced my hand..."

"Wufei," Jinli muttered softly, moving around the benches to take the jacket from him. "What does it matter how it happened now?" he asked quietly, holding it so Wufei could slide his arms in. "It doesn't matter now, because we're both here, and we can find the others...and..." his voice constricted. "We _can_."

Wufei didn't look at him, staring into his locker a moment, then slammed the door shut and moved toward the exit.

"Oi," Duo muttered, moving from the shower-section as a hair-dryer ran. "Look at me."

Wufei stopped, not looking at the other.

"Wufei," Duo said, moving forward and grabbing his wrist. "You keep your promises, don't you?"

"I try," Wufei admitted, feeling his own throat constrict.

He knew where this was going—and he didn't want it to.

"Then promise me something," Duo jerked on his arm.

Wufei met his eyes slowly.

"Promise me that after tonight, you won't drink...not alone."

"There are times when I want to _be_ alone, Duo," Wufei noted, starting to pull away from him.

The grip on his wrist tightened.

"Why are you giving me tonight?" Wufei snapped, meeting his eyes sharply. "You never did before."

"Because you haven't been drinking," Duo returned. "I probably shouldn't give you tonight, but...you're just getting it under control. _Please_, Wufei...I don't want you to become any more an alcoholic than you already were."

Wufei studied his eyes a moment, then nodded, pulling away.

Duo watched him go, crossing his arms.

"What did he say?" Quatre asked, clicking the dryer off. "I couldn't see him."

"He agreed," Duo muttered with a sigh.

"He told me he was drinking too much," Jinli said quietly, looking between them. "But he didn't...didn't say..."

"That's the first time anyone's actually said it," Quatre shrugged, running the brush through his hair. "Uh, Duo?"

Duo turned to look at him a moment, then saw the thing he was holding.

He blinked.

Quatre sighed, tossing the tube over. "It just makes things easier. You and Wufei don't need it—but Jinli isn't as well known."

"Right," Duo muttered, turning to face Jinli and give him a momentary wide-eyed look, then showed the tube.

Blue face paint.

Jinli blinked himself.

Duo grinned after a moment, squeezing a small amount onto his finger, then reached forward and marked Jinli's temple with it. "With this paint, I herby initiate you into our world...no matter how fucked up it may be."

"Oh joyous tidings," Jinli retorted, then sighed, starting for the door. "But if I'm Wufei's espoused, I may as well enjoy the full trappings."

"It's funner than you might think," Duo informed him mischievously.

Jinli gave him a _very_ level look, then left the locker-room.

That conversation was _very_ over.


	3. Two

**A/N:** 2 chapter update.

- -

**Two**

"Heero?"

Quatre looked up to Matty, who had a very serious expression on his face—almost scared, actually. He couldn't find it in himself to be worried though, not with Blake in the door with a grin on his face...and there was something false about the fear.

"Hm?" Heero asked, looking up to him and blinking.

Matty licked his lips nervously, sitting down in the chair next to Heero. Quatre couldn't see his face, and wondered what was going on.

Blake closed the door behind himself.

"I..." Matty half glanced toward Quatre. "I think I might be pregnant."

Heero's reaction was to blink as he considered the younger man, then focused back on the computer. "When do you want to get married?"

Blake started snickering.

"Right now!" Matty cooed, throwing himself into Heero's arms. "I was so worried you'd be upset...let's get married right now!"

"Hm...can it wait?" Heero asked as Quatre covered his face with his hands. "I want to finish this game of spider."

Matty guffawed, pulling back to _look_ at Heero.

Heero started laughing, leaning over to kiss him. "I'm sure it will be a beautiful baby."

Matty started basically giggling, pressing his face into Heero's neck.

"Some days," Heero noted to Quatre, "I wonder about my choices."

Matty bit his throat.

"Aaand others," Heero pulled back to grin down at the guy, "I wish everyone would just get out of the room."

Matty started laughing again, pushing away from Heero to smack his shoulder—and get his ass slapped in return.

"Are you really playing spider?" Quatre demanded, glowering at the other man as Matty and Blake moved to the fridge, laughing about the joke.

"Uh...what?" Heero blinked up at Quatre, then grinned and shook his head. "No, actually, I'm reading an email from Une about how psychotic she's finding Hanager to be. Sorry...I didn't mean to zone out on you."

"That's fine," Quatre noted, pulling his laptop toward him and popping it open. If Heero had an email from the woman, he probably would, too. If he had too much other crap from other people, he could just play solitaire himself. Hopefully, the next time, he wouldn't forget he had the machine. "Mm," he muttered, clicking into his email program. "If you really want a few minutes for you and..." he glanced at Matty, who noticed the attention and gave him an interested look. Quatre grinned, looking back to Heero who had fully focused on him. "The officer's showers tend to be empty through the day."

Heero grinned wickedly at him, looking around toward Matty a moment, then focused back on the laptop. "I'll think about it."

- -

Duo considered the man in front of him a long moment, then looked back to the guy next to him. They were both trying to talk him into reining Quatre in. They'd both noticed he had some sway over the former-blond, even if they didn't realize they were lovers, and they were trying to talk really fast so Duo would get them their way with the guy.

Evidently, having to wait to be interviewed didn't sit well with them. They both had _very_ important positions on the base.

"Did you know," he muttered, sitting down on the table he was standing near—the people waiting to be interviewed could fully wander the room. "Did you know," he repeated, "that this speech was _so_ successful," he indicated the screen, where the recording of his speech was playing, "that we caught all the men associated with the rebels in 25?"

They both fell quiet, blinking at him.

"And did you know, that _all_ of officers on 25 were dealt with one day, and the next we dealt with the other soldiers? That was _two_ days of the largest military base being out of commission. _**Two**_ days. Can you believe it? And it _didn't_ fall apart."

The men glared at him.

"The officers and the soldiers were much less petulant, though," he added, sliding off the table. "I don't want to hear from either of you again or you'll spend the rest of the day in solitary confinement. I don't have time to deal with babies, and I sure as _hell_ am not going to babysit your asses so you can complain that you're bored."

They stared at him in disbelief.

"The proper response," he hissed at them, "is yes sir, soldiers."

"Sir," the said quickly in unison, saluting him, then starting to back away.

Duo watched them go, then rolled his eyes and looked around the room.

Trowa chuckled darkly, moving up from the front of the room where he'd set the speech's volume up a few more notches. "Magnificently handled."

"The officers of this base are full of themselves," Duo informed him, still looking the various soldiers over. "The soldiers are awesome, but somehow, the officers got a chip on their shoulder."

"You have a bad day?" Trowa asked curiously.

"The house isn't done _yet_," Duo hissed back, meeting his eyes. "One little thing after the other, and it's about to make me quit."

"You _know_ you'd get bored without the job," Trowa reminded him, looking the room over. "Don't focus too much on quitting, because you'll go stir-crazy if you don't have something to challenge yourself with."

Duo sighed, leaning against the table again and shaking his head. "This isn't challenging, this is shoddy workmanship. Vic thinks it's because I was gone so long throughout the building."

"Vic realizes where you were, doesn't he?" Trowa protested. "What was going on?"

"Oh yes, he gives me the full leave of military duty...just reminds me it's my own fault."

Trowa tsked.

"Oh yeah, there's a reason I'm thinking about quitting. If the start-up fees weren't so atrocious, I'd start my own company."

"Who's Victor's biggest rival?"

Duo looked up to his friend, who had wickedly glowing eyes. He had to grin back as he considered the options...and how to suggest it to Vic himself to make the man shut his damned mouth.

It had some definite possibilities.

- -

Wufei nodded at the clerk, reading down the sheet of paper as the guy spoke. The official version of Quatre's orders had been typed up and printed out, and they wanted all the Brigadier Generals on the base to sign it—though Wufei got the impression they wanted the orders countermanded so the base could get back to normal.

He, however, agreed with Quatre on this one.

"And civilians aren't supposed to be eavesdropping," the man snapped at Jinli.

"Civilians?" Jinli asked levelly. "Do you have _any_ idea who I am?"

"Brigadier Chang?"

Wufei turned to look at a vaguely familiar man who had a folder in his hands. He looked between them nervously a moment, then offered the stack to Wufei. "You ordered us to get his...his...card made up," the guy explained.

Oh! The ones he'd threatened at the gate.

He nodded.

"It was necessary to...to...do as you suggested," the man added, looking down as he glanced at Jinli. "Was that...everything?"

"Yes, thank you," Wufei returned, setting the file on top of the sheet he'd been reading. "Let me sign off on this...Jin, you have to sign, too."

Jinli blinked at him and the packet a moment...the focused on the words that headed the thing.

Espousal Record.

Jinli smacked a hand to his face.

Wufei snickered happily, signing his name in the required spot and dating it, then slid it around and looked to Jin.

"I hate you," he informed Wufei seriously...and signed his name, too.

Wufei grinned slightly, filling out the rest of the information he needed to, then noted that there was a sheet for Jin, too. He slid that over.

"I...need to access this computer," the guard noted to the clerk seriously. "Now."

The man saluted and logged off the machine. The guard slid over the top of the counter as Jinli filled out his sheet, and logged onto his own account. After a moment, he took the papers Wufei offered him and scanned the barcode on the thing at the bottom. His fingers flew across the keyboard, and after a few moments, he turned to look at Jin...who slid the sheet to him almost thoughtfully.

"There...we...go," the man muttered, typing more. "Get me a badge," he instructed the clerk.

The guy looked annoyed briefly, then muttered something that sounded like yes sir', and disappeared.

"Okay...I'm no genius," Jinli muttered, leaning forward, "but I could swear his nametag has more pretties on it than yours."

The guy stared at him in amazement a moment, then grinned and moved his arm—he had a band around it with a series of stars sewn into it. "My position gives me the rank to command...even the Brigadier Chang," he nodded his head respectfully to Wufei. "I'm charged with keeping the base in order and safe, so I have a few...the word that comes to mind is privileges...but that's not exactly the word I'd pick to describe it." He grinned slightly at Wufei. "Disobeying me can get you landed with treason charges—keep that in mind...and you should probably _teach_ him the system, Brigadier."

"I should," Wufei agreed casually, starting to look though the forms in the folder.

"Here, sir," the clerk muttered, passing him a badge.

"Thank you," the man returned, taking it and scanning it. After a moment, he pressed another key, and the printer next to him started up. "It's a shame all the stands don't have card printers," he noted. "But then again, I've never used this machine before and the likelihood of me doing it again is slim..." he started clicking through things quickly and typing one handed.

Jinli was actually pretty impressed to watch him do it, because he was typing with his left hand across the full keyboard. He blinked as Wufei slid something to him and looked down...at the folder. "What...is this?"

"The information about espousal," the soldier returned, glancing back at him. "There..." he clicked something else and logged off the screen. He turned, then, taking the scissors...and starting to cut out the information tag. When he'd finished that part, he dug out a pen from one of his pockets and wrote along the bottom edge...and signed it. "And we're done," he added, sliding the paper into the plastic holder and sliding it across to Jinli. "Congratulations."

"Uh...thanks," Jin returned.

The man grinned at him and moved around behind, disappearing briefly into the room. He appeared a moment later, exiting from a door to the left of the window, and smiled at Wufei. A moment later, he was gone.

"That was...efficient," Jin noted blankly.

"They don't normally have me sign that much stuff," Wufei noted, looking back to the thing he'd been reading before. He signed under Quatre's name, then looked up to the clerk.

"You're...espoused?" the clerk asked them blankly. "I'm...so sorry," he added to Jin specifically. "I was rude before...please forgive me, sir."

Jin nodded his head, blinking.

Wufei smirked. "So I'll get Yuy and Barton to come read this and sign off on it," he noted. "I don't know if there are any others of my rank on the base, so...have a good day."

"Thank you," the man noted sourly—he'd just read where Wufei had signed.

Wufei smiled at him, then turned and led the way down the hall.

"He totally did a three-sixty on us," Jin noted quietly.

"He did," Wufei agreed. "People treat Matt like that, huh?"

"Yeah, huh?" Jin rolled his eyes. "I cannot believe we're marked as espoused."

"I know...I'm going to have to get a new tag before the end of the day, I'm sure. Hey...scan that here," he indicated a vending machine.

Jinli gave him a perplexed look, then scanned the thing. It took the machine a moment to think about it, then it said to make his selection.

Wufei hit the button for a bottle of cola, twice. It was one of the nicer machines, where a door opened and you reached in for the bottle. Wufei grabbed the first, then the second, passing the one to Jin as the machine thanked Jinli for his business.

"What the hell?" Jin asked blankly.

"Perk of the espoused to a Brigadier General," Wufei explained, flicking his collar slightly. "I can do it, too. I don't usually, but...hey, we're espoused." He started laughing and toasted Jin with the bottle. "We need to go find Heero or Trowa."

"Right," Jin noted, rolling his eyes, then lifted the folder he'd been given. "This is thick."

"I know...it's got all sorts of weird pamphlets in it," Wufei returned. "I think it's the stuff you can do for me on base. Matty got one when he first got his tag," he indicated Jin's. "He and Heero were laughing as the flipped through it. Matt ended up getting a couple pairs of military grade pants and some boots and stuff...it probably just lists what you can get where, and what you can do."

"I guess...let's go ditch it in...our...locker."

Wufei laughed delightedly at that, and started toward the area.

- -

Matt jumped hard when the door to the officer's showers opened, staring wide-eyed at it as...Wufei entered the room.

"We have the timing," Jinli noted sardonically as Heero moved up behind and looked out at them with interest.

"Timing?" Matty asked, relaxing and pulling his pants back on. "What are you talking about?"

"When I first got here," Wufei explained, "Duo and Quatre had just finished showering. Can't you idiots wait until you're home to try and breed?"

Matty guffawed.

"Oh, probably," Heero noted happily, combing his hair as Matty pulled his shirt on. "But what fun is that?"

Wufei gave him a look.

"What is that?" Matty asked Jinli curiously, sitting to start pulling on his shoes and socks.

"The guy who gave me the badge gave it to me," Jin explained, showing them his. "I'm just putting it away."

Wufei and Jin disappeared, and Matty looked nervously to Heero.

They hadn't made a big deal out of it, because situationaly it had been necessary, but they were _legally_ espoused.

The pair _had_ to know that...didn't they?

"When you get done here," Wufei gestured at them as Jinli left the room again, "go to the information booth. They want you to sign for or against Quatre's actions today. I think I'm gonna make one last pass around the base, then head home. Later."

"Wait, Wufei!" Matty called...but the door closed behind the man.

"Do you _want_ to get married?" Heero asked curiously, sitting himself and pulling on his shirt. "More than just claiming you're pregnant?"

"I know a pregnant girl," Matty offered. "I can get you a pregnancy test."

"Gross," Heero gave him a mildly offended look.

Matty grinned and kissed him, then went back to his shoes. "I dunno...we haven't even been together a year. Right now it seems like a happily ever after, but I'm pretty sure at least once a month I'm surprised at something with you. I haven't even started real school—my mom always said to live in your youth...and I'm only nineteen. I don't think I'm ready to be married...no matter how much I love you now."

Heero smiled at that and kissed him again, then focused on his own shoes. "I'm not the fastest to pick up on things," he said quietly. "I don't know for sure how much you mean stuff yet...so don't expect me to understand subtle hints too fast...and...and I don't _see_ my life without you."

Matty smiled at him, kissing him again, then rose to his feet. "I'm getting out of here before we get you in trouble...and I meant it earlier when I kept trying to put you off, dammit."

Heero sniggered and kissed him again, standing to follow him as he tried to pull away. He didn't step, but Matty was laughing as he did, grinning at Heero almost accusingly, then turned and bounced from the shower area. He gave Heero a coy look over his shoulder...and disappeared.

Heero laughed to himself, focusing back on dressing—really, that would get done _much_ faster without Matty in the room.

Wait...Matty was alone in the hall.

He'd pulled both his shoes on, and was grateful they were slides as he darted toward the door.

Matty stepped back into the room before he could clear the shower area, staring with wide-eyes at Heero.

"What?" Heero demanded, moving toward the door and dropping his shirt and jacket as he reached for his weapon. "Did you see..."

"I just...realized...I was alone," Matty returned, moving into Heero's arms. Before Heero could more than agree to that, Matty was crying. He pulled the guy tightly to his chest, pressing his lips to the guy's head. "I _hate_ this," he choked, clinging. "I _hate_ it...I'm _**scared**_ to be alone..."

Heero held him tighter, trying to think of what Taofa might say to the words...or Duo...or Quatre...even Trowa. He couldn't work his mind through the notion. "It's...it's okay..." he muttered. The words sounded weak to him.

"I can't do anything when I'm grabbed," Matty went on. "I'm scared to be alone...Quatre left me in the apartment, and I could hear people down in the old one...and was too terrified to leave the room! When a new soldier enters the area I freeze until I see the blue mark, and if they _don't_ have it, I go to the ones who do...I...I...I'm just so _tired_ of being weak..."

"You're not weak," Heero protested quickly. "You're not..."

"You don't even know what I'm talking about," Matty snapped, pulling away to glower up at him and wipe at his eyes. "You had whole _armies_ cowering in front of you by yourself by the time you were my age...you'd won two _wars_ by the time you were my age..."

"But...Matty...I..." Heero floundered, not sure what else to say.

"Get dressed," Matty snapped, leaning down to pick up his shirt and jacket. "Hurry up...I want to get out of here and go home...I'll go with Wufei if you're not ready yet."

"No...I can go," Heero said quickly. "If...if you want me to."

Matty focused on him, deflating slightly, then smiled. It was a sad smile, but he looked tired. He turned to their locker, opening it and starting to dig out their things.

Heero sighed slightly, pulling the shirt and coat on. He buttoned up the shirt, but didn't bother to tuck it in or button the coat. He accepted his things from the younger man, then turned and held the door open for him.

"Why...don't we...go to my dad's for supper?" Matty asked quietly. "Maybe...stay at that house."

"Anything you want," Heero reassured him, perking up at the suggestion. Taofa would know what to do, and Heero could ask him about it for future reference...

"Did I ever tell you about my mom?" Matty asked, turning to smile slightly at him. "She was...funny."

Heero nodded, his heart quickening slightly. Matty _never_ talked about his mom...not more than to say what had happened to her, or repeat things she'd suggested.

"We can go to the information thing," Matty noted quietly, starting down a hall Heero didn't know. "But...she was the one who always said to go for what you want. If you want it, it's worth having, so take it."

Heero grinned at that, remembering the first week they'd been together.

"It's always funny to me, because when I'm with you...I feel safe, and...not embarrassed...but then you try and tell your friends shit I've done and it just makes me die inside."

Heero smiled at that, not sure how to respond again.

"I don't understand why it matters," Matty added quietly, looking to the floor. "Because I'm quite willing to throw you on the bed as soon as you walk in the room...but when I think you'll _tell_ someone that..."

"It's fun," Heero noted happily. "It's funny when I'm just expecting you to be playing a game or something...and suddenly I'm on my back. I can definitely think of worse greetings."

Matty laughed, moving under his arm. "My mom liked to say to do what you want and worry about the details later...or let dad do it. Dad would have kittens because she'd just go buy some expensive thing for me or Li...or buy a bunch of movies...we didn't really have a lot of money, but once in a while she'd do it, and my dad would point out how little good it would be if we had a killer laptop and no electricity to run it...or to run the dvd player or tv...all that sort of things. My mom always noted it would work out and he needed to stop stressing so badly..." He wiped at his eyes.

"I can see that," Heero muttered. "Do you miss that?"

"Dad does it," Matty noted quietly. "After she died...if there was something that caught our attention, he'd go out and buy it for us as soon as he had the money to. It's not quite the same as mom, but we have a bit of...he...he has debt...from the funeral."

Heero closed his eyes.

"And the car...and the house...and the credit cards." Matty shook his head. "I wanted a car, so he lent me the money—that's why I started working at Casto...that and to get some money for college."

"You want to go?" Heero asked with interest.

"Eventually," Matty agreed with a sigh. "I haven't gotten a whole lot saved up..."

"No," Heero muttered. "Do you _want_ to go."

Matty stopped, looking up at him.

"I'll make you a deal," Heero said quietly, studying his face as he started tucking his shirt in. "If you can get your bachelor's without stopping or giving up...I'll pay for it."

"I don't want you to..."

"I said if you do it without stopping," Heero cut him off. "I had friends who tried college, and most of them gave it up as a bad job. It's not easy, and what I'm offering you is the same sort of loan you could get through the government. You have to pay me back what you used if you give up."

Matty stared at him.

"Whether or not...we stay together," Heero added quietly, looking away briefly.

"Why?" Matty demanded. "Why would you offer me that?"

"Because I want anything you want," Heero returned, starting to walk away. "And if I can make it happen, I _will_ make it happen."

"And how can you say that even if we break up, you'll still pay," Matty protested, moving to catch up with him.

"Contractual agreement," Heero shrugged. "I'll fund you as long as your GPA stays above a three point."

Matty stopped again, thinking fast.

"Call your dad," Heero suggested as they slowed at an intersection. He looked up, seeing Wufei and Jinli down a side hall, talking to a man. He gestured at them. "Call your dad, and I'll go take care of the order nonsense Wufei mentioned."

Matty watched him walk away, then turned quickly toward Wufei. Wufei gave him a concerned and alarmed look, but Matty indicated the hall Heero had disappeared down, pulling out his phone. He leaned against the wall within Wufei's line of sight as he hit the autodial. He had a moment of noticing his sparkling blue phone, and had to smile as he set the thing to his ear and slid down.

"No, you can't borrow my car," Taofa informed him. "Don't even ask, I won't have your boyfriend sexin' you up in the back seat."

Matty guffawed.

"And don't even start that cry...hello?"

"Holy shit, is Li exploring?" Matty demanded.

Taofa coughed. "I have your...the ringtone...but...uh...hi, Matty."

Matty laughed again, rubbing at his eyes. "I was thinking me and Heero could come over for dinner tonight...stay in my old room?"

"You're not having _your_ boyfriend sex you up in my house either," Taofa noted pointedly.

"We took care of that already," Matty noted dryly. "But that's not why I called you."

"I'd certainly hope not, I don't care about your..."

"No!" Matty wiped more at his eyes. "No...you...you're so special. No...I..." he licked his lips. "Heero asked me to marry him."

Dead silence.

"But I said not yet!" Matty added quickly, wishing he'd thought out what to say beforehand. "I...he said...but..."

"Are you okay?" Taofa demanded. "And aren't you stupidly in love with him? How could you turn him down if he asked..."

"It wasn't a real sort of proposal," Matty protested—the word definitely caught Wufei's attention. "It was...asking if I _wanted_ to...not if I would...but that's not even..."

Taofa sighed. "Then why did you say it if it wasn't what you were calling me for? Holy shit, someone wants to marry you."

"Hey!" Matty protested.

Taofa snickered. "I'm sorry...it's just...wow. Really? It wasn't while you were..." he cleared his throat. "It wasn't something like that, was it?"

"No," Matty returned dryly. "Near enough...but no. I told him I was pregnant earlier so he asked me when I wanted to get married."

Taofa didn't comment, uncertain.

"I told him now and he said he wanted to finish his game of solitaire...it was _later_ when he got serious."

Taofa groaned.

Matty laughed a little, Quatre's reaction to his comments more prominent than Heero's. "No...but...Dad? He offered to pay my college."

Taofa fell silent again.

"He...he told me that he'd make me a contract...a legal one...that said as long as my GPA stayed above three points, he'd fund me, even if we broke up. He said...he wouldn't make me pay him back if I got my bachelor's...but if I quit school...he'd have me do it then."

Wufei was watching him, he realized, not breaking conversation, but watching him. He shifted slightly so his face was less obvious, not entirely sure what he thought.

That offer had been a bomb on a quiet Sunday...entirely unexpected and fully out of left field.

"And what did you tell him?" Taofa asked in a slightly choked voice.

"I didn't know what to say," Matty returned. "He said he wanted anything I wanted...and..."

"How the _fuck_ did you find Romeo?" Taofa demanded, almost annoyed. "You find yourself a military hero and he saves your ass from a colony..."

"That he'd told me not to go to anyway," Matty agreed quietly, thinking back to the conversation. That had been before he'd realized that Max was the one and...well, not only...but the prominent Heero Yuy.

"And...he takes his friends to save you..." Taofa trailed off quietly. "Tox?" he said quietly.

Matty blinked—no one had called him that since...his mother had been alive.

"Tox," Taofa repeated, "I want you to listen to me, and I want you to promise me something. For whatever reason..."

"Dad..." Matty started.

"No, listen," Taofa ordered. "For whatever reason, that man dotes on you...his whole world seems to revolve around you right now, and while I know you're just having fun...he asked you to marry him. I don't care _how_ he phrased it, but he _asked_ you to marry him."

Matty lowered his head to study the floor as he messed with his new shoes.

"He loves you," Taofa repeated. "So _if_ you decide to leave him, you had _better_ not be a dick to him. I always thought it was nonsense of you to be living with him already, but they bought you pax...and...and I don't even _know_ what all..."

Matty studied the shoes, struck again with how absolutely random it had been for Quatre to tell him to grab the damn box because he _obviously_ wanted them. ...that wasn't all, though. There had been clothes, and money...games...and food. Every night, Wufei made sure there was something he specifically knew Matty would like in what he made. Every morning Quatre would let him wake up on his own and wait for _him_ to be ready to go do whatever _he_ wanted to...and Duo.

Duo explaining the finer points of Heero's thought processes...Duo pointing out why Heero'd done something...why the others had...

And then Trowa...Trowa attacking the soldier on 27 because they guy had upset him...Trowa smiling up at him from standing over Ranger...Trowa smirking at him as he handed Lifon the very phone she'd dreamed of for weeks...

"I know you're young," Taofa muttered quietly. "And I know you're capricious...and I think he does too. I don't think he wants to pin you down or pen you in at all...and that offer he just made you? That is a phenomenal thing...and his addition of a contract and...and..."

"He told me to call you," Matty muttered, wiping at his eyes again. "He said I should call and talk to you about it..."

Taofa snorted slightly. "Of course he did...what an asshole."

"What?" Matty asked blankly.

"He set it all up nicely so you can take his offer. He organized things out in a logical fashion and gave you the key to helping you decide...and he's not right there, is he? He hasn't been there since you called me."

"He went to look at some papers in the main office," Matty agreed. "I'm down the hall from Wufei."

Taofa laughed, sounding amused, pleased, and exasperated at the same time. "What an _asshole_," he repeated, laughing even more. "Clever fucking asshole...holy shit, Matty...he _asked_ you to marry him."

Matty started laughing himself, wiping at the tears streaming down his cheeks.

"You okay?" Wufei asked, squatting down in front of him.

Matty looked up at him a moment, then around to Jin, who was giving him a concerned look. The other man was nowhere to be seen.

"Matty?" Wufei asked. "You want me to take you home? Did Heero piss you off?"

Taofa started laughing even more.

Matty grinned at him a moment, wiping at the tears still on his face, then jumped at Wufei. The Chinese man wasn't only knocked off balance, but startled. He landed on his rear, ready to give a consoling hug...and realized it wasn't that at all.

He looked to Jinli uncertainly.

"You're all assholes," Matty informed him, pushing away and raising the phone to his ear. "Dad? Me and Heero will be leaving in the next five minutes, probably. Have you had dinner?"

"I assume you'll be making it for me...just call your sister and let her know you're coming. It wouldn't due for you to find her and that little boyfriend of hers on the couch half-dressed. Then you'd have to tell on her, and she'd get in trouble."

Matty snorted at that. Taofa knew full-well that he would _not_ get his little sister in trouble.

"And you better do just that if you ever _do_ find it before she's eighteen," Taofa added pointedly. "Or I'll kick your ass."

The line went dead.

"_Are_ you okay?" Wufei asked uncertainly. "Why the tears?" he wiped at Matty's face with his thumb.

"I...he didn't exactly _say_ it, but...Heero sort of asked me to marry him," Matty studied Wufei a moment. "And...you heard me about the college thing."

"Heero's a simple man," Wufei agreed. "You make him happy, and there's a damn lot he's capable of doing to keep you happy, too. So what's the verdict? You going to marry him?"

"I'm...I'm nineteen," Matty muttered, looking down.

"Up we go," Wufei muttered, grabbing his forearm and hauling him up as he stood himself. "So how about the college thing?"

"We're going to my dad's...we'll all talk about it then."

"Nice shoes," Jinli noted, kicking at them. "I don't recall seeing those around at all."

". . . why is your phone sparkly?" Wufei asked blankly.

Matty looked between the two males, then grinned at them and extended his foot to show the shoe better. "Quatre was tired of being in the shoe store," he noted. "And...come on," he added, showing them the back of the phone properly. "It matches his car."

Wufei scratched at the back of his neck, considering Matty's expression a moment—Jin had covered his face with his hand—Wufei nodded, though. "It does...that's neat."

Matty grinned at him, both pleased and amused by that. He turned, smiling as Heero turned down the hall.

"You didn't make it very far," Heero noted, extending his arms. Matty flew into them, hugging him tightly.

"We were sidetracked," Wufei agreed. "You guys leaving, too?"

Heero nodded.

"We need to be sure the others know before we just ditch," Jinli pointed out.

"Uh...can you let them know for me?" Heero asked. "We're sort of having a...um...evening."

"From screwing in the shower to crying in the hall," Wufei agreed, rolling his eyes. "Come on, Jin...later, Heero."

Heero grinned after him, starting for the front of the building.

He wanted to get back to the apartment and change before they headed to Taofa's...and maybe call into work.

It would be nice to spend a day with Matty and not worry about anything. They didn't have a whole lot of time left before the rebels fixed Wing Gundam...he wanted to enjoy every minute of it.

He didn't want to die, leaving things undone with Matty...and even though he didn't plan on dying...it was worse if it was unexpected.


	4. Three

**Three**

"My concern," Taofa noted quietly, studying Heero, "is the fact that my son _is_ only nineteen. I'm fully aware that there are people who can fall in love and know they'll be together forever—but my son is nineteen."

Heero nodded, studying the floor.

They were in the kitchen of Taofa's house, and Heero was leaning against the counter. Heero'd been getting thirds of dinner—Matty was a good cook, and Taofa had come in for a drink. Instead of leaving again, though, the man had decided to talk with Heero. Matty and Lifon were doing something that was making them laugh very hard, and Heero really wanted to just melt and go join them.

"You have to have _something_ to say," Taofa noted. "You know you do."

Heero met his eyes and shrugged slightly. He hadn't expected Matty to tell the man about...about asking about getting married. He'd just been asking to hear Matty's mind...not to have his father pressing him on the matter.

"Heero," Taofa said seriously, "you asked my son to marry you."

"I...don't want to...I want to be with him," Heero met his eyes briefly and shrugged again. "It's not like...I...I just wanted to see if he _wanted_ to."

Taofa grinned slightly at that, considering Heero's expression. He'd never managed to fluster Heero sufficiently enough that he avoided eye contact, so he was vaguely amused by the situation. It wasn't like he'd _intended_ to fluster the guy, either.

"He pointed out that we've only been together a few months," Heero added.

"Four," Taofa returned dryly. "In the first month, you saved him from a hostage situation. The second month you took him to space again. The third, you took him _back_ to space and legally espoused him, which is about a half a step down from marriage anyway...and the fourth you rescue him from being abducted."

"We filled out the paperwork so he could come and go from the base unhindered," Heero muttered, studying the far counter.

"Oh, I know the reasons," Taofa noted pointedly. "He called and made sure I agreed with him before he finished it."

Heero looked up at him, startled. Matty hadn't mentioned that—but then again, he knew how often Matty would call Taofa for advice, that had been why he'd said for Matty to call the man from base.

"Tox?" Taofa called.

Heero blinked as the laughing stopped.

"What's up, Dad?" Matty muttered, appearing a half a moment later and looking between them. "What's going on?"

"I flustered your espoused into wordless uncertainty," Taofa returned dryly, starting away. "_You_ talk to him."

Matty blinked, moving out of the man's way as he left the kitchen, then looked uncertainly to Heero.

Heero shook his head, extending his arms. He held Matty a long moment before kissing him and giving him a skeptical look. "Tox?"

"My mom used to call me that," he noted, smiling slightly. "And toxic, actually."

That explained the 'caution: toxic' sticker on the door to Matty's bedroom.

"He only does it when he's serious," he added, looking after his father. "I thought you two had started fighting or something; stopped my heart."

Heero grinned, considering his eyes a long moment. "What would you do if he told you to leave me?"

The question startled Matty, and he stared at Heero a long moment before becoming flustered. Heero could tell the guy was thinking fast.

He chuckled, kissing him again. "I guess that means I put an effort in to keeping _him_ happy, too, huh?"

Matty stomped his foot, giving Heero a petulant look.

"Even when you throw a fit," Heero noted, kissing him, "I can't help wanting you..."

Matty sniggered, covering Heero's mouth with both of his hands. "_Not_ in my father's house."

Heero guffawed in disbelief—that had _not_ been what he meant.

Matty grinned at him, bouncing to the fridge as Taofa moved to look in at them with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" Heero asked sweetly. "We weren't doing anything."

"And I believe you just as much as I believe _her_ boyfriend," he agreed, gesturing with his thumb toward his daughter.

"Daddy!" Lifon whined. "We weren't _doing_ anything! We were just _kissing_..."

"And what do you think kissing leads to?" Taofa demanded, though not in a harsh way—he seemed amused. "A walk in the park with a musical montage ending with you both on your backs in a meadow, looking at the clouds or the stars? _Really?_"

Lifon and Matty both started giggling.

Heero started laughing himself, taking the can from Matty, who stopped and looked up at him.

"What?" Heero asked curiously, gathering the plate of food he'd been readying.

"You drink beer?"

Heero blinked at then at the can he'd opened and drank from blankly. "Uh...yeah."

Matty snorted at that, pulling out a pop. "So, Li," he called, moving from the kitchen. "What song is your montage?"

"I _like_ Dustin, thank you very much. We are _not_ talking about it."

Matty started laughing wickedly.

"So, Heero," Taofa muttered, "how would you like to put the fear of god into a seventeen year old punk with me?"

"_What?_" Li demanded as Heero moved from the kitchen as well. She was standing on the couch and staring between them with an accusatory glare.

"Depends. What do you need me to do? If you want _me_ to scare the shit out of him, your daughter might hurt me."

Tao grinned at him, then looked around to the girl with interest. "I did tell you he was coming over tonight, didn't I?"

Matty was laughing his ass off where he stood, his eyes absolutely dancing.

"You're not scared of a sixteen year old, are you?" Toa added wryly to Heero. "Really?"

"That sixteen-year-old you speak of is within hearing range, and I'm not discussing it with _him_ here, either," he indicated Matty, who laughed even harder. "I think if I took a wrong step with _her_, it'd put me in the dog house faster than pissing _him_ off."

Li giggled at that as well, jumping the back of the couch.

"Don't you dare go running to call him," Tao ordered the girl. "Don't you go running to warn him..."

She gave him a look, and disappeared anyway.

"She won't call him," Matty noted dryly to Heero, "she'll text him."

Heero grinned wickedly at that.

"I try," Tao appealed to Heero. "I really do..."

"I think you're mostly doing fine," Heero reassured him, moving around the couch to sit. "Just don't let her tears put you off and she'll stop hating you by the time she's...twenty-one, twenty-two if you embarrass her."

Taofa laughed delightedly at that, sitting his in his chair as Matty slid over the back of the couch to curl against Heero.

- -

"And this is Heero Yuy," Lifon added, indicating Heero. "You're a general or something, right?"

"About a step back from one," Heero agreed in amusement, studying her eyes. He couldn't tell if she was downplaying the rank, or being sixteen. She did that sort of thing a lot.

"Heero Yuy?" Dustin breathed, staring at Heero with wide eyes—he didn't even offer his hand. He'd exchanged happy greetings with Matty.

"He's awfully protective of my Li," Taofa noted from where he was. He hadn't gotten out of his chair when the young man had shown up, and had said something to Heero about seeing his gun—Heero wasn't going to let the man fuss with the weapon, though. Not to scare a kid. They could do that very well unarmed.

Li tsked at Taofa.

"Lifon is very important to me," Heero agreed casually with the man as Matty moved back to the couch, trying to keep a straight face. "But you look like an okay kid...you wouldn't hurt her, huh?"

The guy dropped his eyes, shaking his head quickly.

The girl herself had narrowed eyes...an expression remarkably like Matty's when he was delivering a silent warning.

"Or...pursue her in ways I would consider...un-admirable," Heero added in a low voice.

"You're a jerk," Li snapped, shoving at him.

Heero stepped back wordlessly, still studying the younger man. If he'd had to confront the families of the people he'd taken up with at seventeen, he wouldn't have done half of what he had—a quarter of it. He had been more confident than this kid back then...Li stormed passed him, then stopped.

"You're not seriously freaking out, are you?" Matty demanded of the guy in disbelief. "They're warning you not to treat my sister like a slut, and you're freaking out?"

The kid looked up at him, his cheeks cherry red, then turned and darted from the house.

"_Dustin!_" Li protested, running after him.

"I didn't think that was too heavy," Heero muttered to Matty with a frown.

"I didn't either," he reassured him. "Evidently she took up with a pussy."

"Matty," Taofa chided.

"He just _ran_," Matty retorted, gesturing at the door.

The door flew open again and Li stormed into the house with tears on her cheeks. "I _hate_ you!" she flared at Heero, then ran and threw herself at Matty.

Heero blinked, not sure if he was supposed to believe that or not.

"Hey, she didn't blow your eardrums," Taofa noted happily, bouncing to his feet. "Want another beer, Heero?"

"I hate _you!_" Li half-shrieked at her father, then ran down the hall and slammed her bedroom door.

Taofa turned to Heero, raising three fingers, then lowered them one at a time. As he lowered the last finger, music _blared_ from her room.

Matty snickered, rising to his feet. "_Dad_."

"That boy wasn't only kissing," Taofa retorted, heading happily into the kitchen. "He was _only_ _kissing_ in the same way _Heero_ is only kissing."

Matty snickered at that. "Did I tell you about the call I made from the border at Western Sahara?" Matty asked, bouncing into the kitchen.

"What?" Taofa asked. "You want a beer?"

"Really?" Matty was startled.

"You probably won't like it, but I somehow don't imagine you're innocent. Your boyfriend's commentary about _anything_ to make you happy somehow strikes me as him letting you try _anything_."

Matty giggled at that. "We're not _that_ bad...but I do have a drink sometimes."

"And since he's you're espoused, he gave it to you if the cops show up."

"She is kind of throwing a fit, isn't she?" Matty noted, cracking the can open and looking down the hall. "Should I go talk to her?"

"Probably," Taofa agreed, passing him a can of juice.

Matty smiled slightly at Heero, then disappeared down the hall.

"Here," Tao passed Heero another beer. "Hopefully he'll calm her down so she doesn't throw a screaming fit at me. She did before—and the neighbors called the cops. She told the cops how I'd chased off her boyfriend, and the man suggested I find a way to distract her."

Heero grinned at that, moving back into the living room after the guy.

"I hope you scared _him_ off," he added, dropping back into his chair. "_He_ was a pussy...the type who'd get Li pregnant and declare that he'd never touched her...the stupid sort who would never accept the consequences of his actions...so. I've been thinking a while today...and I could have sworn Matty wanted to marry you earlier today, but you wanted to play a game of solitaire."

Heero started laughing, arranging himself comfortably on the couch. "Quatre was in the room with me...and Blake. Matty came in with this fake concerned look on his face, and I think Quatre was buying it. He informed me that he was pregnant...and what could I say at that point? Quatre was...exasperated," he laughed a bit. "Utterly exasperated, and Blake was just bouncing around."

"So what's this I hear about you not sending Blake from the room, huh?"

Heero practically spit out his beer, covering his mouth with his hand as he met the man's eyes. "He told you about _that?_ Shit..."

"You are the very embodiment of what I never want my daughter to find, and you're in love with my son. How does _that_ work?"

Heero started laughing, taking another drink to give himself a moment to think. "I...there's nothing I can say in response to that that won't just confirm what you say...all I have left to say is that I have gotten more straight guys into bed than turned me down, and I'm willing to do anything for your son."

Taofa gave him a very level look, rolled his eyes, then flicked on the television.

Heero chuckled slightly. "Morning after can be priceless."

Taofa snorted. "What? Get out of my bed before I brain you?"

"A little more panicked than that, usually...more of a holy-shit, what did I do?"

The man covered his face with his free hand.

Heero snickered slightly. "All I have to say is that Duo's an awesome teacher...but you have to mind the subject matter."

The man started laughing helplessly, shaking his head.

Heero laughed more, focusing on the television. "So, what's on?"

- -

"And he _left_," Lifon summed up to Trowa. "He just..._ran_ from the house!"

"I imagine you were upset," Trowa returned, focusing on the food he was making. "You want some?"

"What is it?" she muttered, focusing on the pan skeptically.

"Chicken stir-fry," he returned.

"Okay," she moved to sit across the island from him.

Their old apartment was nearing completion, so they were still working out of the new. The stove was in the middle of the island.

"So what? You just let him run?" Trowa gave her an interested look. Heero had told him the story when they'd gotten back to the apartment, but he wanted to hear what she had to say.

"No," she returned grumpily. "I went out after him, telling him they were just stupid, and he told me he was just going home." She pouted at him. "When I saw him today he said he was sorry, then ran off to join his buddies."

"So they scared him away," Trowa noted. "At least until he gets horny and none of the other girls will give him a second glance."

She glared at him.

"Sorry," Trowa noted. "I know you won't go back to him after that stupid shit—and really, your dad walked _in_ on him kissing on you. Most of the guys I knew back then...if they really wanted to be with a girl more than just trying to get in her pants, they'd make sure the parents didn't walk in on them. When they didn't care, they didn't care."

Her lower lip quivered slightly as she stared up at him.

"You're better off without him," Trowa noted, serving her up a plate. "You can find a better guy—one who will want to be with you enough that Heero won't scare them off."

She smiled slightly at that, taking the plate from him and blinking at the chopsticks.

"What?" he asked, blinking at her in return. "You don't want those? I can dig you out a fork, but I don't want to do dishes later and these are disposable," he showed her the package they had on the counter.

"But what about the pan?" she muttered, blinking at it.

"I'll wash that as soon as it's empty," he explained. "Then when it comes time to clean up after supper, I can point out that I did my dishes...the others will grumble at me, but I won't have to do it."

She giggled at that, picking at the food.

"So what else is new?" he muttered, starting to eat from his own plate. "You were saying on Friday you were going to get your friends and go see that movie. How was it?"

"We didn't get to go," Li returned with a sigh, taking a bite. "Me and Eve were the only ones who really wanted to, but Dad grounded me because of Dustin. That meant I didn't get my allowance...and Eve went with Ade."

"Geeze, don't any of you have names that are more than one syllable?" he muttered, looking up at her.

She giggled at that, giving him a look.

He grinned back.

"So they aren't going to it again, and they keep _talking_ about it," she stabbed a piece of chicken viciously. "My friends are assholes and my almost-boyfriend's a dick..."

"Should I say what that makes you?" Trowa asked, grinning at her.

"Hey!" she protested, meeting his eyes with an upset look.

Trowa laughed, taking another bite. "Sorry...you just left it wide open..."

She sighed, going back to the food. "I just...I really wanted to go."

"Are you grounded still?"

"No...Dad gave me my allowance this morning and said he'd take it back if Dustin showed up again."

Trowa grinned at that, studying her eyes. "So you're a forlorn little single princess?"

She glowered at him.

"I'll take ya," he added, turning to the fridge. "You want something to drink?"

"What?" she asked. "You'll take me?"

"Oh sure, make it a date, huh? Go see some uber girlie movie, and I just made you dinner," he grinned as he indicated the paper plate she was eating from.

She snorted at that, taking the can from him. "Okay...I don't know about the _date_ part," she added, "but if you wanna go with me..."

"Take you," he corrected. His mind offered him several better choices of phrase, but no one else was home, so he could ignore the slip.

Lifon gave him an interested look.

"I haven't gotten to go out with a pretty girl in a couple months," he added, grinning wickedly at her. "And I know full-well that Heero and your dad...and your brother...would bury me under the daisies if I was inappropriate, so we can go do something stupid and girlie for your amusement."

She giggled more at that, shaking her head at him, then looked around.

"My laptop," he noted, pointing at the sunken living room, "is over there...and if you can't find the browser..."

He watched her hop into the sunken area in amusement, going back to eating as the front door opened. "Hey," he greeted Matty, feeling a little wicked. "How are you guys?"

"Li here?" Matty asked, blinking at her phone, which was on the counter by her plate, then looked up to Trowa.

"He's taking me to the movie!" she declared, bouncing back up to hug him and take another bite. She smiled brightly at Trowa, grabbing her phone, then disappeared again.

Matty focused very levelly on Trowa.

"What?" he demanded.

"What are you doing?" Heero asked in Spanish, raising an eyebrow.

"Taking a girl to a movie to distract her from the fact that the guy she thought would be her boyfriend is a pussy," Trowa retorted. "Don't look at me like that. She's been about to start crying for the last ten minutes. The movie will help her feel better, and then I'll buy her something stupid and expensive so she can annoy her friends just as bad as they've been annoying her."

Heero blinked.

Matty gave Heero a concerned look, glancing at his sister. He leaned forward, narrowing his eyes at Trowa. "What do you think you're doing?" he hissed.

"Talk to your boyfriend about it, in the room," Trowa snapped back.

"How were her friends annoying her?" Heero muttered, looking around to the girl.

"Since she got grounded because of him," Trowa explained, "her dad didn't give her her allowance, which means she didn't have the money to get into the movie, so two of her brainless friends went without her and won't stop talking about it."

Heero gave him a very long look, then rolled his eyes. He grabbed Matty's arm and yanked him after.

"The next showing is in ten minutes," Lifon breathed, moving up to look at him with bright eyes. "But they start every half hour...so whichever theater we go to, we won't have to wait long."

"So let's finish eating," he suggested, indicating her food. "Then we can go find a likely theater, and if we have to wait we can hit a store or something."

"Okay," she perked up. "I was looking at this shirt over at Timeless," she added. "Maybe we can find one of those."

"Oh, sure," he returned, grinning at her. "Sound plan."

- -

"You took a sixteen year old on a date?" Duo demanded happily of Trowa as he moved into the house.

"Oh, shut up," Trowa retorted, hanging his jacket up by the door and sliding off his shoes.

"No...you...you _took_ a _**sixteen**_ year old on a movie date."

Trowa gave him a very long look.

"And you did it because you wanted to distract her from the pussy-boyfriend who dumped her."

"_You_," Trowa noted happily, "are annoying." He started down the hall.

Duo snickered, looking around to Quatre, who shook his head.

"You're home early," Matty bounced out of his and Heero's room happily. "She not want a kiss goodnight?"

"_If_ she did," Trowa breathed, moving in on the teen so he was pressed against the wall, "who's to say I wouldn't still get her home on time?"

Matty's expression clouded.

"You _want_ me to kick your ass, don't you?" Heero asked levelly, moving up near the pair with narrowed eyes on Trowa's face.

"Try me," Trowa purred, moving so _they_ were eye to eye. "I just spent three hours with a chattering little sixteen year old and made her forget about some bitch boyfriend she had, and all I'm getting for it is grief."

"Such a gentleman," Heero returned.

Trowa grabbed Matty's arm and moved him from between them.

"_Stop_," Matty snapped, moving back and shoving Trowa away backwards, then Heero. "Knock it off."

Heero snorted, turning away.

Trowa glared after him a moment, then focused down on Matty expectantly.

"I was just teasing," Matty added, frowning at him.

Trowa snorted, turning back for his room. He pounded on Wufei's door as he passed.

"Yeah?" Wufei asked.

"You want to go get drunk and laid?"

"Oh...uh..." Wufei pulled the door open and blinked at him. "Me and Jin decided to hit the movies...and we work tomorrow."

"I called in," Trowa admitted, then sighed and started down the hall.

"What about Tim?" Wufei muttered.

"He didn't call in, and refused to," Trowa noted, stopping in his door. "I'm not going out alone."

"We can just have some drinks here," Wufei noted.

"Yes, but that doesn't take care of the getting _laid_ part," Trowa pointed out.

"Sorry," Wufei grinned at him. "Just don't drive drunk?"

Trowa moved into his room irritably.

He wasn't going out by himself. His friends were annoying. Duo and Quatre were topmost on that list, but Heero and his little lover weren't that much better...and ever since Jinli had shown up, Wufei may as well have had a boyfriend. Tim was fine to take off with, but he refused to on week-nights.

There was a knock on the door.

Trowa glowered down at the phone, which hadn't beeped an alarm for people's approach.

"What the _hell_," Heero snapped, storming from his room. "What in the _hell_..."

"It's just Blake," Matty protested, following after. "Why are you so upset?"

Heero indicated his phone—which was about when Matty realized that Quatre, Duo, and Trowa had theirs out.

"Watch out," Heero instructed, moving around Blake, who'd been smiling happily at him. "Duo?"

Duo sighed, moving after the other. "Hi, Blake."

"Hey...what's..."

"The sensors didn't warn us you were coming," Quatre explained. "That sort of thing is a personal insult to Heero."

Blake laughed, looking around and smiling at them all.

"Are you watching tv?" Matty asked Quatre, bouncing after him. "We wanted to play that game again."

"That's fine," Quatre reassured him, rising to his feet and stretching. "Me and Duo are going out anyway."

"Are you?" Trowa asked, perking up.

"To dinner," Quatre agreed, grinning at him. "At Pandora's."

"Oh," Trowa deflated slightly, then sighed and headed for the kitchen.

- -

It turned out that the sensor on the side of the old apartment had malfunctioned, and after Heero had destroyed it entirely out of annoyance, they fished out a new one and reset the sensors. That done, Duo and Quatre left for their dinner, and everyone else moved out to the living room to watch Blake and Matty try to beat some game.

Trowa sighed, moving over to the stereo—for some reason, he was the only one who seemed to use the sunken living room, and they had an entertainment system set up. He was fortunate enough that his friends didn't mind his music, so he set his laptop to stream his playlist through the thing, and set the audio so the boys could still hear their game.

The evening drug on, and Trowa sighed as he stared out at the city below them from the far window. The noise reached a crescendo, which indicated the end of Blake's turn, and Matty happily announced that he'd clear the thing, even though Blake couldn't.

His drink was by the stereo, and Trowa turned to grab that, noticing that Blake was standing on the stair, watching him. He grinned at the guy, grabbing his drink and starting to dance. Everyone else knew he was in a bad mood, so they'd been giving him his space.

"What is that?" Blake asked, moving up to him and looking into his cup—it was a large cold-mug.

"Whiskey and seven-up," Trowa explained, lowering it for the other to smell.

"Can I?"

"I don't care," Trowa let him take the cup, starting to dance with _him_. He was buzzed, bored, and annoyed...it didn't seem to matter anymore.

Blake laughed a little at that, backing away as he took a few drinks, then met Trowa's eyes...and moved in. He turned as he did it, sliding up against Trowa with his back to Trowa's chest.

Trowa laughed a little, resting a hand on his hip...at least Blake was willing to have fun...unlike _everyone_ else in the damn apartment.

- -

Wufei looked up from the drink he'd been having when Trowa's motion changed...Trowa's and Blake's, that was. They'd been dancing for probably a half hour with Blake's back to Trowa's chest. Trowa's drink was empty, and the movement had been Blake turning to face Trowa. For some reason that was _beyond_ Wufei's willingness to comprehend, there was an amount of hip movement between the pair that suggested they weren't _just_ dancing.

He snorted slightly, looking to Jinli a moment, then indicated the pair with his head, then the hall.

Jin looked around himself, then spotted the pair and rolled his eyes. They moved down the hall as Matty laughed at the game, then into Wufei's room.

"You have some _special_ friends," Jin informed him.

"I know," Wufei agreed, closing the door and indicating the laptop. "We need to look up more places for you to apply to."

"Yeah, huh?" Jin moved and dropped in the chair, grabbing Wufei's laptop. Wufei moved and dropped onto the bed. He had a folder with Jinli's rsum in it, since they'd been messing with both things since Wufei had gotten off work. Jin was reaching the end of his money, and while Wufei didn't mind rent going back to normal, he knew that Jin wouldn't be happy in that situation.

"Maybe we should mark that you're supposedly my espoused," Wufei noted, flashing a grin up at Jin. "I wonder if that would sway anyone."

Jin snorted and threw a balled up piece of paper at him.

Wufei laughed, batting that away before grabbing his pen. "So...how about..."

- -

When Heero took Blake's turn for the fifth time, Matty realized that his friend hadn't come back into the room in a _long_ while. He stood quietly, listening, but all he could really hear was Trowa's music, the game and...and moaning? Well, okay, that had been more of _a_ moan, a short little sound of pleasure. He looked around in disbelief, stepping forward to see through the kitchen...and stare.

Trowa had Blake pinned against the far wall, and Blake's legs were wrapped tightly around Trowa's thighs. He had his head thrown back and his eyes closed...and Trowa was moving his hips in a slow and consistent motion.

Matty dropped on the couch, clapping his hands to his mouth as he looked around to Heero.

Heero gave him an interested look as he saved their progress, then leaned forward to look himself...and stare. After a moment, he sat back and stared at Matty in amused disbelief.

Matty pressed his hand to Heero's lips, giving him a pleading look. He didn't want to embarrass Blake by calling Trowa out on the action...and Trowa'd been in a bad enough mood that he sort of...just wanted to let him do his thing.

Heero started laughing silently, moving forward to turn off the machine, then the television...and follow Matty happily toward their room.

- -

"Let's go in my room," Trowa whispered, kissing at Blake's ear as Blake caught his breath. "Everyone else is in bed already, I should turn off this stereo...and Duo and Quatre will be home any minute wanting to talk, so..."

Blake swallowed, blinking around at the empty apartment. "Right..." he muttered, allowing himself to be lowered to the floor. "All..."

Trowa smiled briefly at him and turned to the stereo.

Blake followed after, not entirely sure what to think. He hadn't expected anything to come of the dancing...not from Trowa.

He did have the thought, though, as Trowa started the media streaming in his room, that Trowa wasn't really into guys. The notion of being easy was unpleasant to Blake, but he _was_ already laying on Trowa's bed, so the point was a little moot...not to mention what had happened against the wall.

He shuddered slightly as Trowa pulled his shirt off, then again at the sensation of his mouth.

He was _beyond_ done thinking.


	5. Four

**A/N: **2 chapter update.

- -

**Four**

"Morning," Trowa greeted Matty happily as he cooked at the stove, smiling at him. "Coffee's on," he added, indicating the machine. "You hungry?"

Matty blinked at him—though, really, it was more at the hickies along his throat. It took him a moment to resolve why that had his attention. "Uh...where's Blake?"

"He hasn't gotten up yet," Trowa returned, nonplussed. "Are you hungry?"

"Sure," Matty muttered, moving around to gather himself a cup. He hesitated after pouring, though, studying the thing.

"Sugar and creamer are over here," Trowa noted, indicating the end of the counter to his right. "I was going to put it by the pot, but got distracted—something about the eggs burning."

Matty smiled slightly at that, moving to mix his cup the rest of the way. "Uh...um...how did you sleep?"

Trowa _guffawed_ at that, starting to laugh a little. "I think I had a solid hour in there somewhere."

Matty stared at him.

Trowa laughed wickedly, focusing back on the food. "I'm _starving_...you?"

"I'm hungry," he agreed quietly, glancing toward Trowa's room uncertainly.

"No, how'd you sleep?"

"Good, actually..."

"Good, it's hard to find the balance between noise and stereo."

Matty laughed a little at that, moving to sit down at the couch and stare at the tv. The news was playing quietly, and the house was silent.

"Good morning," Wufei muttered, moving into the area and stopping to look at Trowa. He stared at him a long moment, then went to the coffee pot.

"You sleep okay?" Trowa asked, glancing back at him. "You want food?"

"I don't have time for it—me and Jin were working on his resume and crap last night, so...I didn't get enough sleep."

Trowa gave him a concerned look.

"Uh...no, Trowa, you didn't keep me awake."

Trowa grinned at that.

Wufei grinned back and left the apartment without saying more...he _was_ running late, Trowa hadn't really been watching the time, though.

"Who in _the_ hell were you fucking last night?" Duo demanded, moving into the kitchen to poor his coffee. "And how the hell did you get out of the house to pick anyone up?"

Trowa met his eyes wordlessly as Duo moved around to mix up the creamer and sugar...and overfill his cup as Blake moved from Trowa's room, rubbing at his eyes.

Matty started laughing. "Duo! _Duo!_"

"**_Shit!_**" Duo stopped pouring the creamer and stepped back, looking around three or four times before realizing Trowa was offering him the hand-towel. He started cleaning up his mess, then gave that up and looked to Trowa...before moving around the island to poke his head into Trowa's room.

"What are you doing?" Blake asked him curiously, then looked to Matty, who was still laughing as Trowa dumped the ruined coffee into the sink.

"Holy shit, did you have _fun?_" Duo demanded, turning to look at Blake. "Did you pass out from lack of _oxygen?_"

Blake started laughing embarrassedly at that.

"Leave him alone," Trowa admonished, grabbing the coffee pot. He gave Blake a concerned look. "You okay?"

"Sore," Blake noted dryly to Matty...who fell over on the couch, he was laughing so hard.

Duo smacked his hand to his face, covering his eyes as he thought quickly. He had no idea how to react to the situation, considering Blake's level of self-esteem. He also didn't want to embarrass Trowa away from the curiosity. On top of all that, Matty's laughter suggested he wasn't going to live down overfilling his cup.

Trowa set the refilled cup back near the creamer and gave Duo a look—it was a very pointed look. There was a promise of death in those eyes, just not how to provoke it.

Duo moved to finish mixing up his cup, glancing sidelong at Trowa.

"Later," Trowa muttered in Spanish.

"I didn't pass out," Blake added quietly to Matty, who was starting to calm. "But I think I swooned a few times."

Trowa started laughing himself, nearly spitting out his mouthful of coffee onto the food he was making as Matty started laughing even harder. A moment later, Blake had joined in.

Duo focused on Trowa with a slightly raised eyebrow, then snatched the spoon from him.

Trowa was put off a moment, not expecting the action, then shook his head and moved over to kiss Blake's ear...which completely distracted Blake from the laughter. When he stopped, he noted that Blake was still waiting, licking his lips...

Well, that was an easy turn on, wasn't it?

Matty started laughing again, covering his face with his hands.

"Are you _okay?_" Trowa demanded, grinning down at the younger man. "Really?"

"I'm fine," Matty agreed, still laughing. "I'm perfectly fine."

- -

"Wong Jinli?"

"Yes?" Jin asked curiously, moving down the hall as he rubbed his eyes. He hadn't been awake long.

"Good morning, this is Richard Steward from Jonjim Testing..."

Jin's heart quickened as he moved into the living room. Matty and Blake were sitting on the couch with their heads together, and Trowa was doing dishes in the kitchen—and from Blake's clothes, he'd really stayed the night.

Didn't that figure?

"I...yes, I sent my application in last night," he forced his mind back to the more important matter.

"And from the time-stamp on this, you must be tired," the man laughed a bit. "But...well, I appreciated your listings and all, but I'm just sort of confused, because when I tossed your name into the search...it says you're espoused to um...Brigadier General Chang Wufei."

Jinli froze as Trowa looked to him sharply.

"But your application states that you're single. I wanted to address the matter first-thing, and make sure you know that our industry does not take sexual orientation into account when hiring. Actually, that Brigadier General listing is pretty impressive. It lends credence to your full resume...so...were you worried about our hiring practices?"

Trowa had a hand to his mouth, his eyes sparkling.

"Um...no," Jin returned blankly. "I just..."

"I'll stop you there," the man said happily. "I don't actually need to know why you did it, but I do want to let you know that the listings in the search are taken into account. When there is differing information from a resume, we print that out as well. When you come in for your interview, you can let the interviewer know if you want the information taken into consideration—and let me tell you, being espoused of a high-ranking military officer doesn't hurt your chances in the slightest. Do you know when you'd be able to start, if we hired you? Your application says you're free any days. Is there a time you'd prefer to work?"

"I prefer sleeping in a bit," Jin admitted.

"Nine-thirty-ish?" the man asked happily. "We only stay open until four, but..."

"That would...work," Jin muttered uncertainly.

"Wonderful," the man said happily. "I'll start setting up your training dates. Did you want to come in this morning or this afternoon...for your...interview," the word was amused.

"You're not just hiring me because of Wufei, are you?" Jin demanded sharply.

"I won't lie; potential government funding has an appeal...but no. It says here that you worked in Raiment Testing up on 25...for a year. Raiment has a good training program...which means that you should have at least the basis of what we're doing here."

Jin made a noise, uncertain. He hadn't thought to add in that year of working, but Wufei had said it couldn't hurt, and when they found this job he'd had an 'I told you so' aire.

"So...would you like to come in this morning?"

"I need to shower and eat," Jin noted quietly. "I can come in after that."

"So...an hour," the man noted thoughtfully. "That should give you plenty of time to find the facility."

"I...will be accompanied by soldiers," Jin noted as Trowa raised his eyebrows. "That won't be a problem will it?"

"Of course not," the man reassured him. "I'll mark that down...and...see you in an hour."

"Thank you," Jinli muttered, closing his phone.

"Soldiers?" Trowa asked. "You don't mean me, do you?"

"No, I'm going to get Wufei to get me...a couple."

"Why?"

"Because he's a little too interested in getting me there fast," Jin snapped. "He wanted to accommodate _me_, and that suggests to me he wants me there."

"Maybe he wants to hire you," Trowa noted pointedly.

"And maybe you want me to kick your ass," Jinli snapped back, moving into the lowered area. He'd already hit the autodial.

"What's up?" Wufei asked curiously.

"Two things—I just got a call from Jonjim..."

"Already? That's awesome..."

"He was asking me why I didn't mark that we were espoused."

Wufei hesitated. "Why would he know that?"

"Exactly," Jin agreed. "And he was trying to get me there fast."

"So he wants to hire you?" Wufei asked hesitantly.

"Maybe...I'm sort of worried, though. Is there a way to get a couple soldiers to go with me?"

"Uh...Trowa's there, isn't he? I'm at work, so it's harder to go pick you up a few good men."

Jin made a noise at him.

"Okay, so I'm not funny today," Wufei noted happily. "Duly noted. I'm serious, though...Trowa and Quatre are there, one of them should be able to do it. Actually, you probably could on your own."

"I'm not playing into your paranoia," Trowa noted happily, going back to what he was doing. "I'll only play into Matty's."

Jinli glowered at him, moving toward the hall. "Matt?"

"Yeah?" Matty asked, moving around to look at him with interest.

"With that tag of yours...from base," Jin realized he didn't have his on hand. "What do you do to get your way?"

"Show it to someone with a pretty rank tag and tell them what I want," Matty grinned at him. "Why?"

"Because I'm not going to this interview today alone."

"Oh," he blinked. "Yeah...I suggest you ask for Patel. He knows what he's doing and we know for a fact he's on our side."

"Thanks," Jin muttered, smiling briefly at him. He moved back down the hall, rubbing at his face.

He had an hour to get showered and food, then he had to get a couple soldiers from base, and get to the...crap, he hadn't even looked where that damn place _was_.

He had a feeling he was in for a long morning.

- -

"So, I'm going to the base," Quatre informed Trowa pointedly, not looking around. "I...me. By myself...alone."

Trowa looked up from his laptop to give Quatre a very long look.

"Are you...with me?" Quatre demanded.

"No, you're going by yourself...you...no on else...alone. I'm not with you."

Quatre tsked.

"Quatre?" Blake darted down the hall, rubbing at his eyes. "I need a ride home—I could take the bus, but..."

"Right," Quatre agreed, indicating the door and turning. "Matty?"

"Yeah?" Matty moved from the bathroom with the toothbrush in his mouth.

Quatre blinked. "Oh, did you want to come with me?"

Matty disappeared to spit. "Where are you going?"

"Just to base...well, and dropping Blake off."

"Oh...I wasn't...uh..."

"No, it's fine," Quatre reassured him quickly. "Trowa's here."

"You're leaving me with Trowa?" Matty asked skeptically.

Trowa guffawed.

"He got laid last night," Quatre noted dryly, looking around to Blake. Blake grinned a little vacantly at him and moved into the hall. "I think you'll be fine."

Matty snickered. "I'm telling Heero you did it. When he decides to kick your ass..."

Quatre snorted at him.

"You're going to base?" Jinli demanded, darting from his room. He was wearing a pair of slacks and a nice shirt. His hair was fixed and his shoes were shiny. He had his base-tag around his neck, and wallet in his hands.

Quatre blinked.

"Duo's lending me his car," Jin explained quickly, patting his pocket. "He took his bike...but I wanted to get a couple soldiers from base and I'm running late...already."

"For what?" Quatre asked blankly. He'd heard Jin showering beforehand, and then Matty had hopped in. He himself had just used the shower in the old apartment.

"I have...an interview," Jin blinked at him. "The guy called this morning, and..."

"How do you have Duo's car, then?" Trowa asked blankly. "He left before you decided to wake up."

"He took his bike today," Quatre explained. "I imagine you called him?"

Jin nodded, looking around nervously a moment.

"So why do you need to go to the base?" Quatre added curiously. "I'm not following something here."

"The guy was a little _too_ eager to get me the job."

"He might _just_ want to hire you," Trowa noted pointedly. "He could..._like_ your resume...and the little note that you're espoused of Chang Wufei."

"Why would he know that?" Quatre asked blankly.

"Quatre?" Blake asked from the hall, appearing again.

"Oh, right...I'm going, if you're following me, I'm leaving now—sorry, Blake. I'm gonna get Jin some guys and then I'll take you home."

"You could get me some guys," Blake said happily.

Quatre started laughing, and Jin followed him out the door.

"He really just left without saying _anything_ to me," Trowa noted in mild dismay. "And was saying shit to Quatre."

"You're special," Matty called from down the hall.

Trowa snickered, moving to mix himself up another cup of coffee. For some reason he couldn't bring himself to care...and it was a little reassuring to hear it. Matty moved into the kitchen as he left it, and he slowed at the bottom of the stairs to take a drink from his cup...and froze entirely at the sensation along the nape of his neck as Matty ran his fingers up into Trowa's hair—light fingertips—and _grabbed_ a handful.

"Matty," he said brightly, standing very still. "You wanted my attention?"

Matty snorted at him and yanked.

Trowa lowered himself backward obligingly to look up at the younger man. He wasn't sure if the grip hurt or felt damn interesting, but all it'd take to switch to simple pain was Matty closing his fingers.

"How in _the_ hell do you know how to fuck like that?"

"Practice?" Trowa asked uncertainly, focusing on his cup carefully.

The grip tightened—but he'd been wrong. That was an interesting sort of pain. "I meant with males."

"Ow...ow...okay!" Trowa wanted to laugh. He'd never seen Matty that demanding before, and there was definitely no denying him. He could see why Heero was so enthralled by him.

Matty let him go.

Trowa stepped away quickly, rubbing at the hair that had been yanked as he moved to set his cup on the little table. The pain didn't really recede, though, and Matty crossed his arms. "If you lived with Duo this long, you'd know, too! I mean...if you were straight..."

"What?" Matty demanded.

Trowa glowered briefly at him, dropping into the chair. "Duo's an asshole. If he decided he wanted to annoy me, he annoyed me. He tells me all _sorts_ of shit I don't want to hear when he feels like it...and even more specific details when it was a bad lay...I've heard."

Matty moved down the stairs, considering him skeptically.

"What?" Trowa asked nervously, shifting backwards slightly. He didn't trust the guy not to grab his hair again.

"Blake told me _everything_, you realize?" he asked, sitting in the second chair. "From the wall," he indicated the thing that was behind him, "to when you woke up this morning."

Trowa grinned slightly at him, picking his cup up again. "So what?"

"So what?" Matty demanded. "I don't know if it's occurred to you yet, seeing as he's been here nearly daily for the last few weeks, but he's _looking_ for a boyfriend."

Trowa looked to the laptop, not wanting to discuss that.

"So what the fuck were you doing? How is that fair to him?"

"He was just _asking_ Quatre to pick him up some guys," Trowa retorted, gesturing at the door. "He left without saying anything to _me_...so don't even start that preaching nonsense!"

Matty shifted forward in his seat.

Trowa shifted back, ready to move. He was realizing even more how shortsighted it had been of Quatre to leave them alone together. Heero would just _love_ it if he ended up hurting the guy, and that's where this would end up going if Matty _grabbed_ him again.

"I'm not even sure what happened!" he shot at the youth. "We were just dancing...and..." he glanced toward the wall as he thought back. Blake had been testing him, and he had been daring the other on.

"And when you woke up?" Matty asked dryly.

Trowa snickered, meeting his eyes. "And what?" he asked, sipping from his cup. "At that point, he'd already been in my bed all night. Hardly time to quibble."

Matty narrowed his eyes.

"I'll talk to him, all right?" Trowa demanded. "I think things went just as fast for him as for me, and neither of us have gotten laid in the last two or three months anyway, so...I don't think he's horribly upset."

The other made an amused noise, standing and stepping toward Trowa, considering his eyes. He leaned down after a moment, yanking at Trowa's hair again—Trowa decided not to move away. "You do that," Matty suggested in his ear in a dangerous tone. "And you better damn well make sure he's on your side."

"Or what?" Trowa growled at him.

"Or I'll make your life hell," Matty whispered back sweetly, mouthing his earlobe. "And I know all sorts of interesting ways to do that."

"And what makes you think I'll _let_ you do that?" Trowa snapped.

"Oh...I have a feeling you won't do much," Matty returned, pulling away. "You talk big and you _can_ act big...but you don't _really_ want to upset me, do you?" he gave Trowa an innocent sort of look that was oddly sincere. "Or Li," Matty started away.

"What does Li have to do with anything?" Trowa demanded blankly.

Matty cast him an amused look, then moved to the main living area, pulling out his phone.

- -

"So that's this area," Richard noted, indicating the space as the moved from the room. "There's one more room I can show you and...the soldiers," he smiled at Patel and the second man, "before you sign contracts saying you won't sell our secrets. We also have medical testing facilities, I noted on your application you had an interest in that field, too. We can put you in any section you really want to try, but overall we'll want you to run through most of them. A few of our guys left over the last few months, so we're trying to fill the gaps. Finding your application this morning was accompanied by a chorus of angels."

Jin blinked at the guy in confusion.

Did he really just want to _hire_ him? **_Really?_**

"So how about you? You been with Brigadier Chang long?"

"I don't see why that matters," Jin noted dryly.

"Sorry," the man returned, grinning at him. "I told you already...the term 'Brigadier General' just sort of impresses me. I never thought I'd get to meet one, let alone a war hero...not that I'm trying to impose on you, of course."

"Of course," Jin noted dryly. "We aren't really..."

"I just figure you'll have him come with you to the work picnic," the man said quickly, looking a little nervous. "I don't mean...I understand...I..." he closed his eyes and took a slow breath. "I'm an idiot."

Jin made an amused noise. "Or a fanboy?"

The man laughed at that, grinning slightly at him.

"So...I could have sworn you said something about an interview," Jin added. "What happened to that?"

"The angels sang?" the man asked curiously. "I can't just _say_ you're hired...I have to go through the motions. After we get here," he indicated another section of the building they were approaching, "there's a panel set up to sign off on the forms after you say hello...but we have to talk to you first. Are these a fixture?" he indicated the soldiers.

"Not really," Jin returned. "Sort of a random affectation."

The guy grinned at that, then the soldiers.

"So you're really just going to hire me," Jin added after a moment.

"Oh, there's nothing more pleasant than pissing off the guys at Raiment," Richard reassured him happily. "So the combination of them having trained you and your educational array covering most of our bases...well," he grinned. "You're really a prime candidate. The fact that we got several holes poked through our...ranks...if you will, just means we're trying to pretend we _aren't_ desperate."

Jinli grinned at that. "Flattering."

The man laughed happily, then gestured them through a door. "Normally we don't allow other people in the room—but the really big firearms the soldiers are holding make us think we can make an exception."

Jin laughed again at that, grinning at Patel. The guy grinned back, but they kept their vigil.

So...Trowa'd been right. That sucked...and he'd have to admit it too...

Oh well. He had a job.

- -

"You _slept_ with _Blake?_"

Trowa jumped at Lifon's voice, turning to stare at her as she moved down into the sunken area...with Matty standing behind her at the door with a wicked light in his eyes.

"Did you have _fun?_" the girl demanded, moving forward to yank at the collar of his shirt. She started giggling as she saw the marks, then met his eyes. "You're so _mean!_"

"_What?_" Trowa demanded, still not getting beyond the wicked look in Matty's eyes. "How am I _mean?_"

"Blake wants a _boyfriend_...and you've never seemed into guys _before_..."

Trowa glanced at Matty again, who was moving somewhat cockily down the stairs. "Oh, I don't know...there have been a few points where I wouldn't mind a roll with your brother."

Lifon guffawed at that, her mouth rounding into a cute little o of disbelief.

Trowa started laughing, because he'd cracked Matty's little cocky smile. "What are you doing here, anyway? You're not out of school yet."

"We're going to lunch," she noted in confusion, turning to look at Matty. "Aren't we?"

"Yes, we are," Matty agreed happily. "Ready, Tro? We need to get downtown so we can get her back to school on time."

Trowa stared at the teen a long moment, then sighed and pushed away from the table, closing down his music program.

"You didn't know?" Li demanded, turning back to Matty. "You didn't _tell_ him? _You_ are an ass..."

"Sorry, I'm still reeling from him fucking my best friend last night."

Lifon started giggling wickedly, smiling at Trowa before turning to bounce toward the door. "I was thinking we could go hit this place that's sort of closer to the school...it's cute, and I wanted to try it, but its one of those places that dad will be an ass about. I was telling him about it and he started acting all excited," she glanced back at them. "And then when I asked if we could go, because he was all excited, he told me _heeeell_ no."

Matty started snickering.

Trowa moved level with him as the doors opened for the elevator.

"_This_ is what my sister has to do with it," Matty whispered happily to him.

"You don't want to play this game with me," Trowa warned him as the girl chittered on happily. "You really don't want to challenge me like this."

"We'll see," Matty reassured him happily, then nodded at Li...and that really was all the encouragement she needed.

- -

Heero slammed into the lockers hard, the weight against his back suggesting someone _wanted_ him there. He'd have been upset, but the only people who could both sneak up on him and manhandle him lived in his house.

"How big of fight will we get in if I put your boyfriend in his place?" Trowa hissed in his ear.

"What?" Heero demanded, trying to turn. Trowa's leg moved and pinned him forward. "Hey..."

"I'm not just letting you up," Trowa snapped. "How big a fucking fight will it be?"

"How bad you plan to upset him?" Heero snapped back. He knew he should just relax, because Tro _would_ let him go when he was done talking—actually, if he were relaxed, Trowa would probably do it that much faster, but he was _really_ pinned.

"He decided," Trowa hissed, grabbing the hair at the nape of Heero's neck, "that my reaction to this is in his favor..."

"Yeah...yeah...he does that," Heero agreed, not fighting that at all. He could have dislodged Matty if he wanted to, but he was starting to think he needed to go through the sparring matches with his brethren. He had no idea who was strongest anymore.

"I'm not liking how he's trying to manipulate me, and without knowing how far I can push _you_, I can't back him down...and I'm _going_ to back him down. That's your warning. Talk to him before I end up hurting him—and tell him to quit telling shit to Lifon."

Heero blinked, startled at the vehemence in that simple statement.

"We took her to lunch," Trowa said in a mock happy tone. "Then we picked her up from school, and evidently somewhere in there she started talking details with Blake, because she was all over asking me if I could do this or that to her..._not_ the most pleasant of conversations, don't you think?"

"I'll talk to him," Heero agreed, relaxing as he realized the intent of Trowa's annoyance. It was weird to think Trowa would get confrontational after getting laid, but if Li'd been poking at him...hadn't that been what led to him screwing Blake to begin with?

Trowa let him go, backing off out of immediate reach to sit on the first bench and run his hands through his hair. "I'm going to lose my mind," he noted tiredly. "Evidently what happened was the worst offense to Matty I could ever come up with, because as soon as Blake left he started his shit...and Quatre _left_ him with me today..."

"_What?_" Heero snapped, rounding on Trowa. "Quatre left him with you?"

"Yes," Trowa agreed. "He was taking off around when Jin went for his interview, so they left together and took Blake home. Aside from fucking with me to warn me to...I don't _even_ know...leave Blake alone? Whatever the hell he was doing...he left me alone. I'm just...it's been a _damn_ long day."

"I'm sorry," Heero said quietly. "He's protective of his friends, and you _know_ Blake is trying to find someone for more than a night."

"I _know_," Trowa snapped back. "I didn't _mean_ to seduce him last night, it just sort of _happened_."

"What I saw was just sort of happening," Heero noted with a wicked grin, moving to sit up the bench from Trowa. "What the hell _did_ happen? You were being all pissy listening to your music and Blake went to check you out...and the next thing _I_ know, you have him pinned to the wall and moaning."

Trowa snickered, covering his face with his hands. "You heard that, huh?"

"It was once or twice," Heero agreed, shrugging. "Me and Matty decided to make ourselves scarce."

"Once or..." Trowa smirked at him, then rolled his eyes. "He told Matty everything," he noted dryly. "So you can talk to _him_ about what happened. _I_ got laid, how's that for you?"

"So after all these years," Heero noted happily, watching him head for the door, "you really _did_ take in Duo's lessons...I assume, anyway, since Blake could still _walk_ this morning."

Trowa started laughing and flipped him off, darting out of the room.

Heero snorted in amusement, and went back to getting ready.

- -

"She's trying to claim that you're just buying my affection," Lifon ranted to Trowa irritably, cuddling next to him on the stair he was sitting on. "I told her you're not, you're just Matty's friend, but she keeps pointing out that some twenty-two year old isn't just buying me stuff to buy me stuff..."

Trowa blinked down at her. She was just slightly too small to _fit_ where she was at, and if Matty saw it, he was going to _throw_ a fit...and she had really cute feet.

"I said you talked to my dad," she added, looking up to him with a vulnerable look in her eyes. "And I said you don't ever _try_ anything...but..."

"They _know_ your dad, don't they?" Trowa asked blankly. "He'd kick my _ass_ if he even _thought_ I was _thinking_ shit about you..."

She smiled slightly at that, looking a little reassured.

He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "We're not normal—any of us. I really _am_ just buying a sixteen-year-old shit to buy her shit. I took you to a frickin' _movie_."

"I should start calling you my boyfriend," she giggled. "See how long it takes for dad to pay attention to it."

"Considering that I'm the nosy big brother," Matty noted happily, typing on his phone as he moved at them from the kitchen, "he'll know about _this_ in about three seconds."

"Matty!" Lifon jumped up at him.

Trowa narrowed his eyes at the young man, considering his conversation with Heero before. He doubted Heero'd had that talk with him—either that or Matty was trying him. Either was plausible.

The pair started whispering to each other, and Trowa pulled out his phone. He pulled up Taofa's number and typed out a quick text, noting that Matty was sending him a picture that might look bad...with a note about her day.

Matty's phone buzzed, and the pair fell silent. Trowa turned to look at Matty curiously...and noticed the mildly outraged expression on his face.

"What?" Li demanded, taking the phone from him...and started giggling.

"What?" Trowa asked blankly.

"He said I could make worse choices."

Trowa snorted at that.

She giggled more, passing the phone back to Matty, then sighed and sat down beside Trowa, but up the step. "Ade thinks you took me to the movie so I'd forget about Dustin and just think about you."

"Did it work?" he asked dryly.

She gave him an exasperated look.

He grinned back innocently at her, then turned and gave Matty a wide-eyed annoyed look when she wasn't looking at him.

He _had_ done it so she'd stop thinking about that boy; not so much the thinking about _him_ part, but the other. At least she wasn't about to break into tears.

Matty sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair as he pocketed his phone. "Wanna watch a movie?"

"Which one?" Li returned, rising instantly. She touched Trowa's hair in passing, then followed her brother without a backwards look.


	6. Five

**Five**

"Do I _talk_ to him?" Blake hissed to Matty, watching as Trowa moved around the conference room. "What's he said? Has he said anything?"

"Not...well...only..." Matty floundered a moment, then shrugged at his friend. "Like what?"

"About what happened?" Blake hissed.

"He feels bad," Matty returned, thinking about that. "He didn't mean to seduce you...it just sort of happened...but he says it with a smirk every time. Wufei's not even teasing him about it, so I have no clue what to make of it."

Blake made a frustrated noise, running his hand through his hair as he turned and paced a little away.

Matty watched him as he pulled out his phone and starting typing quickly, then noted that Trowa had stopped to look at them. The man considered them a moment, then excused himself from the conversation he'd been in.

"Oh, there's Heero," Matty muttered as his boyfriend moved into the room. "I'm gonna go talk to him for a minute, all right? He might know more."

"Alright," Blake agreed, hitting send on his phone.

Matty gave Trowa a dirty look, then moved off toward Heero. Heero'd told him that he needed to back off of Trowa, but he hadn't intended to let up on the promise Trowa'd made about speaking to his friend...and the guy had been avoiding him. He'd seduced him on Tuesday night, and it was already Friday morning—sure, that Wednesday had been busy and Blake hadn't been there...but that still left _all_ of Thursday.

"Blake," Trowa muttered.

Blake froze, turning to look up at him with wide eyes and pocket his phone.

Trowa smiled slightly at that, stopping near him. He had an urge to touch the guy, but the kid had been avoiding him. He'd _called_ the guy, and he hadn't answered or called back...and Trowa hadn't expected to shake Matt that easily.

"Uh...hi," Blake muttered, licking his lips nervously.

"Are you okay?" Trowa asked quietly, studying his eyes. "I mean...the other night...I'm sorry about that."

"I...I had fun," Blake muttered, not meeting Trowa's eyes as he fiddled with the hem of his shirt.

"Yeah, it was, huh?" Trowa laughed a little, looking around, then stepped closer. "Listen...I know you're looking for a relationship..."

"Its fine," Blake returned quickly, meeting Trowa's eyes. "I...its fine."

Trowa considered him a moment, then grinned. "What's fine?"

"You said you were sorry," Blake muttered, raising a hand to his mouth.

Trowa considered him a long moment, then looked toward the ceiling briefly. "I'm not...looking...for a relationship," he noted quietly, starting to turn away. "But if you ever get lonely...you have my number." He smiled as he met the guy's eyes, then turned and started back down the aisle.

Blake stared after him in stunned amazement, feeling his phone buzzing in his pocket. He couldn't work his mind around to answering it, though, because Trowa really _had_ just...just...

"What?" Matty hissed, moving up beside him and shoving him a step. "What did he say? Why are you staring at him? If he hurt you..."

"What?" Blake shook out of the daze, turning to look at Matty again. "No! That's not...he...he apologized...and...no..."

"So why are you staring at him like that?" Matty hissed.

Blake looked around to him, then started to smile as he considered the words. "Let's not talk about it out here," he whispered.

Matty narrowed his eyes, focusing after Trowa. He'd been strolling, and there was too much of a _strut_ in his step. With Blake's amazement and confusion, Matty had a feeling he wouldn't appreciate whatever Trowa had said.

But at least Blake wasn't upset...there was that, at least. He hadn't trusted Trowa _not_ to hurt his friend.

"Come on," he muttered, starting toward Heero again. "We can discuss it later."

- -

"You told him to call you?" Matt demanded, slamming the door to the officer's locker room closed behind him. "You told him to _call_ you?"

"Uh, yeah," Trowa turned to look at the younger man with interest as he pulled his shirt on. He'd been changing back into his street clothes. "Either he'll be far too shy to do it," he added happily, "he won't _want_ to...or he will."

"That's _not_ what I meant!" Matty snapped.

Trowa considered him a moment, raising one leg and placing his foot on the bench to tie his boots. "Blake is twenty, Matt," he noted. "And he's just as able as you are to make his own decisions."

"He's looking for a _relationship!_" the Asian male snapped, moving around the benches.

"Which is why it's _his_ prerogative to call _me_," Trowa raised his eyes to study the young man a long moment. "Or did you _forget_ him saying he'd swooned?"

The question made Matty flush, because he _had_ asked for all the sordid details. He _knew_ that Blake hadn't had anyone better in bed before—not that either of them had much experience at all, but from what they _did_ have...

"Or maybe you forgot Duo asking if he'd passed out from lack of oxygen," Trowa added, tying his boot. "Or...what all _did_ he tell you anyway?" he locked his eyes onto the younger's. "Did he tell you what he _said?_ You said he told you everything, so if he had half as much fun as I _think_ he did, he might just decide to spend _more_ time with me...even though he _knows_ I'm not in it for a life-mate."

Matty drew himself up, then turned and punched the locker beside him...more than punched it. He kicked at it and hit at it in frustration.

"You're going to hurt yourself," Trowa snapped, having tied his other boot. He pulled the teen away from the metal to look at his knuckles. "And what will it prove if you break your hand doing that shit?"

"_You_ are _**such**_ a _**pig!**_" Matty exploded into his face, yanking his hands away. "You're all over insisting to be straight, then suddenly decide that _**I'm**_ hot, and then you go and _screw_ my best friend! You're an inconsiderate _bastard!_ You are the _worst_ type of man! And you _get **away** with it!_"

Trowa slammed him against the locker, pinning him there by the throat. "Don't _fucking_ judge me," he hissed, staring the kid in the eyes. "You don't fucking _judge_ me when you're _flaunting_ yourself around _my_ apartment! You flounced around without a care in the world; not _caring_ that we were all watching you...and yes, Matty," he hissed. "We _were **all**_ watching you...and then you get all flustered and embarrassed because I _admit_ it? And now you're pissed because _I_ spent a night with _your_ best friend? It happened. I'm _sorry_ it happened the way it did...but all it took was _one_ little word and I'd have stopped completely. Blake did _not_ tell me no, he did _not_ hesitate to cooperate with me, and when he _left_, he didn't even give me a second glance."

Matty pushed harder at his wrist, obviously straining.

Trowa focused on that as well, noting something else...he was scared.

Matty was scared.

"Break it," Trowa snapped at him. "Don't just look at me like a kicked puppy. You _break_ my hold."

"I can't," Matty hissed, sounding almost near to tears.

"You're no fucking pussy," Trowa snapped back. "_Break_ it."

Matty gasped in a way that sounded remarkably like a sob...and lashed out with his knee.

Trowa went down, groaning as he hit the floor and curling into a ball. "See?" he hissed. "I told you that you could..."

"Are you okay?" Matty squeaked, kneeling over him.

"No you idiot," Trowa snapped. "You run...you break it and run...because _this_," he reached up and pulled Matty down next to him. It only took him a moment to have Matty pinned again. "Fuck," he added. "I really want to tell you _not_ the nuts...but shit..."

"How do I break this?" Matty protested, staring up at him.

"I don't know," Trowa muttered back. "My ears are ringing..."

Matty snickered slightly.

"What in the _hell_ are you doing?" Wufei demanded, moving in to glower down at them.

"Self defense lessons," Trowa returned, letting Matty go to curl up again. "And I don't think I'm ever going to breed."

"Good," Wufei retorted. "We don't need more of _you_ in the world."

Trowa laughed weakly.

"Here," Wufei added, yanking Matty up off the floor. He considered the pair a moment skeptically, then looked back to the younger man. "Once you get him down, you're supposed to run."

"_Look_ at him," Matty protested, staring down at him.

"Yes, I know," Wufei reassured him. "It's pathetic. He'll be fine in a minute or two. He might even be able to walk out of here before we all leave."

Trowa was laughing weakly.

"Are you okay?" Matty muttered, looking back down to Trowa.

"You did good," Trowa reassured him, rolling onto his back. "Aside from the not-running, you did good."

"See? He'll be fine." Wufei sighed, then leaned over to offer a hand to his friend.

"I don't think I can stand yet," Trowa muttered, rubbing at his face. "Wufei? Am I _really_ such a dick?"

"Really?" Wufei asked, wanting very much to say yes and leave the matter lie. Unfortunately, the question was sincere—Trowa being uncertain was _not_ even the remotest bit normal, so a flippant retort might do more harm than good. "Why do you ask that?"

Trowa gestured at Matty.

Wufei looked back to the younger man, frowning slightly.

"Blake is looking for a relationship and he seduced him," Matty noted, dropping onto a bench. "Then today he told Blake if he gets lonely to call him."

"What the _hell_ happened to you being straight?" Wufei demanded of Trowa in disbelief.

"At least _I'm_ not espoused," Trowa retorted.

Wufei snickered. "That's different...totally different. I haven't _fucked_ a guy."

"You should try Blake," Trowa noted, rubbing at his face. "_Damn_ good."

"I think I'll stick with girls, thanks," Wufei denied, rolling his eyes and looking around to Matty. The guy was studying him seriously. "What?"

"Oh, just admit you watched him flounce around," Trowa muttered, pushing slowly up to a sitting position and wincing.

"Watching...him?" Wufei looked back to Trowa blankly. "What are you on about?"

"When he was running around the apartment with no shirt on?" Trowa retorted. "When he'd stop and dance out of nowhere with no shirt on...I am _not_ the only one who watched him."

"Oh," Wufei blinked down at the guy blankly. He remembered Matty bouncing around the apartment, and trying to figure out what the fuck he was _doing_...but that wasn't the same as what Trowa's question implied.

He looked back to Matty raising an eyebrow. "I guess...I watched."

Matty smirked very slightly at him, then rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to meet up with Tim," Trowa noted, pushing himself laboriously to his feet with the benches and lockers around him. "If I can walk..."

"You really should have just run," Wufei informed Matty seriously. "And where the hell has Tim even _been?_" He moved to pull the door open for Trowa. "God, you're pathetic...walk it off already."

"Matty, kick _him_ in the balls," Trowa muttered over his shoulder, then stopped.

"What?" Wufei demanded, slowing to turn and look at him. "What are you doing?"

"Since when do we leave him alone?" Trowa demanded pointedly, looking back to Wufei.

"He wasn't _left_ with you again, was he?" Wufei asked blankly. "He wasn't pulling you around by your hair again was he?"

"What?" Matty's cheeks flared.

"He and Heero were in here, then they walked out...and he came back in," Trowa shook his head, then remembered the rest of his crap. He gestured Wufei off, turning back into the locker room.

"...are...you...alright?" Matty muttered, blinking at him.

"If I were actually an enemy," Trowa noted, "you'd have just had your getaway time...and do you know the best place to run to?"

"Um...a base?"

"People," Trowa retorted, starting to pull his stuff from the locker. "You run toward civilians and stay in a group. If anyone tries to pull out you, throw a _fit_. Yell rape or fire or _something_, but make sure the people around you know you aren't _willing_ to go."

"But what if I'm in a base like this?" he asked, gesturing around. "Jaden and Qingfu were going to take me to their base in Brazil. How would I escape that?"

"Well," Trowa let out a breath, then closed the locker. He thought he might be able to walk again. "That's a little harder. You want to blend in with the soldiers as much as you can then, and bring as little attention to yourself as you possibly can until you find a way _out_. If you can't get off the premise, then you go find a high roof somewhere to hide on, because if push comes to shove, we'll come for you in the gundams...or a helicopter. That's never a worry you need. We _will_ come for you."

Matty studied him seriously a long moment, then nodded.

"Come on," Trowa muttered with a sigh, starting for the door. "Let's get out of here."

"Trowa?"

Trowa grunted in response.

"I'm sorry," Matty returned. "I'm sorry I flipped out on you about Blake."

Trowa met his eyes and shrugged. "I understand. I feel horrible about it...I told you, didn't I? We were dancing...and things just sort of _happened_. I was buzzed and he was willing...and I can be a _remarkable_ asshole with very _little_ effort."

Matty sighed, moving to walk next to him. He snickered after a moment.

"Hm?"

"I _really_ want to know how you made him _swoon_."

"His eyes just rolled up into his head," Trowa retorted. "I don't think it was any more a swoon than that."

Matty snickered more, shaking his head.

"Can you imagine what would have happened if I hadn't had Duo's dribble to go off of?"

Matty shuddered, then tilted his head. "Why do you have _any_ lube in your room?"

Trowa snickered wickedly at the question, meeting the teen's eyes. "Come on, Matty..._that_ would be telling...and _you_ have been told enough already."

The teen laughed at that, but fell silent when Trowa's phone started ringing.

Trowa blinked, pulling it from his pocket, then a wicked grin lit his face.

"What?" Matty demanded.

"Hey," Trowa greeted Blake happily. "I honestly thought you'd have to think harder than that before you called me."

"I did think...and things got harder," Blake retorted.

Trowa laughed wickedly. "Listen...I'm going out with Tim tonight..."

"Have you bedded Tim yet?" Blake asked pointedly. "Because I'm a sure bet."

Trowa laughed again, glancing sidelong at Matty a moment. "No...no...he's...it's not like that. He's a total pacifist, so all the crap that happened bothered him. He's been too nervous to come back to the apartment. I can't ditch on him, it'd lose all my progress. But...tonight...probably around midnight."

Matty smacked a hand to his face.

"You can just come over and play that game of yours with Matt, huh?" Trowa added happily. "I should be back by ten. I'm sure Tim will be gone before midnight...and if he's not you can just nap in my room."

"You are the _biggest_ asshole in the world," Matty noted pointedly, then grabbed the phone from him. "And what are _you_ doing?"

"Matt?" Blake asked blankly. "I thought you went home?"

"I was...talking...to Trowa," Matty noted dryly. "Heero's waiting for me in the parking lot."

"Ah...hey...if you're not home yet...come pick me up?"

Matty started laughing weakly. "Fine," he muttered, then shoved the phone back at Trowa and started up the walk. They were a hall away from the exit, and Wufei was standing in the door.

"So..." Trowa muttered after a moment. "I'll see you tonight?"

"Okay," Blake muttered...and hung up.

Trowa rolled his eyes as he pocketed his phone. He knew _far_ too many women who said okay that same way.

- -

"I always wondered," Tim muttered as they stumbled toward the set of doors, "what it would be like to be in a fight...but _that_ shit..." He started for the old one.

"This one," Trowa corrected, pulling the door to their apartment open. "Let me get you some water."

Tim laughed weakly at that, following Trowa in and kicking off his shoes at the door. "You had to have fought so many times...and I _heard_ you yelling for me when that closet went over..."

Trowa stopped, helping Tim down the stairs into the sunken area, then supported him over to the table.

"I was such a pussy," he added tiredly, folding his arms on the table and resting his head down. "Matty wasn't..."

"You hear they're talking about sending someone down from the main office?" Trowa asked. He knew Tim wanted to have the conversation out, but he didn't like thinking about the moment when that closet had fell. Thinking that Tim, Matty, and Jin were all in the thing had been heartbreaking. Knowing there was nothing he could do had ripped him in half...had made him regret deciding not to use Heavyarms.

That resolve had broken. As soon as Wing Gundam showed up again, he was going to Peru. He was going to tear that fucking machine apart.

"Yeah..." Tim muttered distantly. "They are..." he was quiet a moment. "You must hate me."

"What'd I do this time?" Trowa asked dryly, carrying the waterbottles back to his friend. He passed the one to him, then moved to turn on the stereo and drastically drop the volume. He tried not to pack the remote around, because then he'd forget where he'd left it...since he'd have to get up to take care of it anyway, he figured he may as well do it so the others could find the thing.

"Do?" Tim asked blankly. "You didn't do anything...I've been avoiding you a little bit."

"I noticed that," Trowa remarked, moving to drop at the table and blink.

His laptop was in his room.

"Drink that, I'm getting my laptop," he moved back across the apartment. He could hear Duo and Quatre talking...and Jin and Wufei seemed to be as well. Both those doors were opened, but the door to Heero's room was closed, and so was his.

Oh yeah...Blake.

"Aren't you early?" Blake muttered from where he was laying on the bed...with at least no shirt on.

Trowa grinned slightly, amused. Blake was using his laptop. He'd thought he'd left it on the table, and this explained why. He moved over to the bed, nuzzling briefly at Blake's ear as he took control of the touch-pad. "He's all morose," he noted quietly. "We're gonna drink some water, then I'll put him to bed." He clicked on the streaming function for the living room. Blake had the radio in his room on already. "It'll probably be a half hour yet."

"Hey," Blake muttered as he started to pull away, then leaned up and kissed him.

"Maybe...fifteen," Trowa noted, kissing him back. He gave himself a moment for that pleasant diversion, then sighed and moved back. "Just...let's not start or he'll be in here with us."

Blake snickered.

Trowa flashed him a grin, then turned and started out of the room...and nearly ran into Tim.

"I'm tired," Tim noted quietly, stopping short. "I'm ready for bed."

"Let's finish the water," Trowa noted, then looked up the hall. The end room nearer them...the one across the hall from Heero's room. That was empty. "I even have a room for you," he noted pleasantly. "But let's listen to the music, huh? Talk a little more. I never go the full story on why someone from the main office would be coming. Have you heard anything?"

The water did its job, and as he neared the end of his bottle, Tim made it back to the sober side of drunk. The only problem with letting Blake control his music was the guy's _choices_. He'd skip a couple songs in a row—Trowa made up some thing about messed up files on the machine—and then would leave it on one of his dirty songs. That was fine for Blake, but Trowa was sitting with his friend in the main room, and songs like 'all night' and 'in your mouth' weren't exactly choices he'd have made when listening with his _buddy_.

"We should go out for real tomorrow," Tim muttered tiredly as he stood. "Pick up some chicks."

"Yeah," Trowa agreed, grinning wickedly at the notion of what Li might say to that. "Ready for bed?"

"Yeah," Tim agreed.

"I'm just gonna finish this," Trowa noted, showing his bottle. "Go ahead and take the bathroom."

Tim nodded and wandered off up the hall.

Trowa moved to the window and turned the radio off, noting that 'in your mouth' seemed to have played a _couple_ times already. He finished off his bottle of water, then moved and shoved the door to his room open.

Blake laughed wickedly. "Like my playlist?"

Trowa laughed at that and kicked his shoes off. "I'm out here talking seriously to my friend about people getting laid off, with a song in the background countering me with all sorts of interesting ways to _get_ off...jackass."

"I was getting bored," Blake muttered sweetly. "Hey, where are you going?"

"To brush my teeth," Trowa retorted. "Want me to breathe on you?"

"I suppose that's an acceptable reason for you to leave."

"Who are you talking to?" Tim asked blankly, moving from the bathroom.

"I have a very special friend," Trowa retorted, pulling the door closed as Blake laughed. "You need anything else?"

"Like what? A blowup doll?" Tim moved past him to throw the door open.

"Ooh," Blake sat up, eyes bright. "_Are_ you joining us?"

Tim guffawed, looking around to Trowa a moment, then indicated him with his thumb. "I don't think he'd really be game for that...and I certainly am _not_ willing to bend over for either of you."

"You have _no_ idea what you're missing," Blake informed him pleasantly.

"Oh darn," Tim retorted, moving from the room and closing the door. He raised an eyebrow at Trowa.

"I seduced him on Tuesday," Trowa whispered, moving down the hall. "Not a thought-out thing at all...but Matty's been freaking out on me all week to talk to him. I told him today to call me if he got lonely."

Tim rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "You're an idiot, you know that?"

"The thought has occurred to me a time or two. Don't tease him, huh? He knows I'm not looking for a relationship, so that joke of yours really wasn't that funny."

"He appreciated it well enough," Tim retorted dryly. "In here?" he indicated the room.

Trowa nodded, moving past him for the bathroom. "Sleep well."

"I'm sure I will...you, on the other hand, need to sleep at all."

Trowa flashed him a wicked grin, turning into the bathroom.

- -

The last week of May dwindled slowly into June with life maintaining a slow pace. On the nights Blake would stay over, which Trowa was starting to find alarming, he'd get up, head to work. Those days tended to consist of the office higher ups trying to push through the work to maintain the quarterly earnings...Trowa and Tim would wander around or back to the apartment, and Lifon would pounce on Trowa to tell him all about her day. For all the drama the girl could relate to him, her conversation tended to be the easiest part of his days. Jin would get home from his new job in some form of exhaustion...and nearly had a panic attack when he realized he didn't have the money he was supposed to give them for the phone bill. After some intense deliberation, Matt finally decided that he _would_ take Heero up on his offer for schooling...and that followed with them in a form of lover's bliss that bothered Trowa remarkably little.

Trowa wasn't venturing any particular guesses, but the relationship between Duo and Quatre changed up again. They had their own form of lover's bliss, and Wufei started to sulk—Jinli wasn't much better, and whenever Trowa noted that a girl would be _nice_, the pair of them would stare at him levelly, and one or the other would point out how many days, or hours, it had been since Blake had left.

He felt bad for that...he really did, but what was he supposed to do? Blake wasn't clinging to him...much...and Trowa didn't know how to go about telling the guy that things were starting to get a little...intense.

Heat melted across the city, and they finally had the first bit of good news since Matty's return.

The old apartment had been rebuilt.

"It's so...empty," Li muttered as she moved into the area. "Why is it so empty?"

"Because...it's empty?" Trowa offered.

She gave him a look.

He grinned slightly at her, looking to the area of wall that had been the old living room. He was _glad_ she hadn't started visiting with them then. _She_ did not need to be thrown into the closet for protection.

...scanty protection, even.

"I'm trying to figure out what to use for the closet," Heero noted distantly, moving in behind them. "I don't know if I should try the gundanium again...it was too heavy, and in the end didn't help all that much."

"Matty said they were thrown around in it," Li muttered, moving closer to him. "If they hadn't been in it..."

"It might not have collapse," he noted, looking back to her. "If it's just metal, it might hold up...even aluminum. That'd be lighter, huh?"

"A bit," Trowa agreed, looking to the windows thoughtfully. "But it won't matter if that's not bullet-proof."

"True," Heero sighed, moving to the one that had been on just the other side of the separator. "But I never plan to let that happen again."

Trowa could remember the closet falling the several stories to ground level _far_ too well. The horrible moment before Heero explained that the three men were in the second apartment...and watching the gundam step on it afterwards.

"Maybe...you shouldn't...make one," Trowa hazarded quietly, his stomach churning.

Heero turned and looked at him.

"I'm having issues with it," Trowa explained, licking his lips as he thought. "Remembering what happen makes me sick to my stomach...and every time you mention a closet..."

"But Duo and Wufei liked to meditate like that..."

"You could...build a platform," Lifon suggested, perking up. "Just make like...a lofty-kinda thing up there," she gestured. "You could put like...zen stuff up there."

Heero blinked at her, then looked to Trowa.

"I don't think they'd appreciate the zen aspect," Trowa noted, grinning slightly. "Come on, I saw this killer laptop online."

"I wish I had a laptop," Li grumbled, then smiled and waved to Heero. "Why are you looking at laptops anyway?"

"I was looking at _pieces_," he retorted, leading her down the hall. He wasn't sure what the look Heero had given him was supposed to mean, and in case it was that the girl was annoying him, he thought distraction and avoidance worked fine. "The site I look at has featured products, and this laptop caught my attention."

She snorted at that, bouncing happily after him as Blake and Matty turned to look at them.

"Here," he added, sitting down and waking his laptop back up...which turned his music back on. They jumped, he'd had it loud earlier in the evening, and Li giggled, moving to turn down the stereo and grab the remote for it.

"Why don't you keep this with you?" she demanded, passing it to him and leaning down to look at the screen.

Trowa shrugged, tossing the remote onto the table, then turned the laptop to face her again.

"One hundred and..." her mouth dropped open. "Is that _serious?_" she squeaked, dropping to kneel next to him and scroll down the page. "That would be so wicked!"

...not as wicked as Trowa's thought at that moment, but he let it pass and nodded, focusing on _her_. The only problem with having a sex-toy around, Blake, was that his mind went to sex a _lot_ easier than it should have.

"It's purple," she noted, looking up to him with sparkling eyes. "Why is it purple?"

"Because it's the _featured_ product," he retorted, sitting back in his chair. "It's the color _they_ picked."

She looked at him a moment, then back to the machine. She considered that, then leaned forward and clicked into the address bar...and hit enter.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, knocking her hand away to stop the reload.

"You said it's the featured color, I wanted to _see_ if it was the featured color."

"It _was_," he protested, trying to knock her hand away again...which made her start giggling.

She managed to reload the page...and Trowa had a moment of panic. It was mild internal panic, more of him not wanting her to realize he thought of her when she wasn't around, but...

She broke into more giggles, since it had reloaded in pink.

"Like I have a _reason_ to look at a pink machine," he noted, poking at her belly. She squeaked at that...cutely...so he did it again, then grabbed at her waist as she giggled and tried to fend him off.

"_Trowa!_" she giggled, not managing to pull away. "_Wait!_"

"Are you _ticklish?_" he demanded...and ran his hand up her ribcage. It wasn't until he had her in his arms and clinging to him that he realized he was _begging_ for trouble...and that was probably because the sound of very pointed steps in the kitchen.

He laughed, pulling away to grin up at Matty. "She's ticklish."

"Yes," Matty noted wryly. "She is."

"So is he," she noted, indicating him with her head.

Trowa focused on Matty, grinning wickedly at him.

"No I'm not!" Matty protested...but he was already running. Trowa darted after him, then started laughing as Blake grabbed him around the middle, stopping him from chasing the Asian male down. "Is he?" Matty demanded.

"No!" Trowa protested, trying to scramble away from Blake. "I'm not! I'm not! No means no!"

Lifon was giggling...as she decided to check that theory.


	7. Six

**A/N:** Another 2 chapter installment. Sometimes I worry that people don't realize that--I guess that means I put the note on both chapters? Anyway, I figure I should note that I know "ahold" isn't a "real" word, and i use it a lot...but it's how i SAY it. If something sounds weird, just put it off as "that's how kye says it irl" and forgive me lol.

- -

**Six**

"Heero! Help!"

Heero would have possibly been alarmed to hear Trowa calling for him if Trowa wasn't practically pissing himself with laughter...or maybe if he couldn't hear Lifon and Matty both...and Blake.

"Heero!"

"Help what?" Heero demanded, raising an eyebrow. He'd heard Lifon start giggling first...

Before Heero could properly turn into the living room, though, Matty started laughing that same helpless sound...

"How _old_ are you?" Heero demanded, moving into the room properly to see the four on the floor. With how Lifon was sitting, it was pretty obvious that Trowa'd been the one pinned to the floor when he'd called for help. Trowa, however, had an arm around Matty's middle as Matty tried unsuccessfully to push away...and was being tickled with the other hand. Li and Blake were trying to unhook Trowa's arm around his waist...but Trowa had a good hold on him.

"I'm almost seventeen," Li noted, giving up to look up to Heero brightly. "My birthday is June twenty-seventh!"

"I know," Heero protested. "Don't say it like its news to me..."

She giggled, sitting back to look at her brother and Blake.

"Okay...okay..." Heero muttered—Matty was laughing helplessly and utterly winded.

"You think you can get him away?" Trowa asked happily, his eyes sparkling.

"You see what you do?" Heero demanded happily of Blake. "When he hasn't gotten laid he's all melancholy and sedate...and look at this!"

Blake started laughing again.

"Ready?" Heero added to Matty, then leaned down and caught Trowa's forearm. Trowa was ready for the challenge...and at the touch released the younger man. He jumped up, then over Matty's head as he jumped _at_ Heero.

Lifon made a squeaking sort of protest, but Heero'd wrestled with Trowa before. The slammed to the ground nearer the hall, and Heero used the momentum to flip Trowa...and started laughing helplessly himself as Trowa did one thing he'd _never_ expected. The spot on the inner part of Heero's thigh that was ticklish...Trowa was tickling it.

"What in the _hell_ are you doing?" Wufei demanded, moving from his room to look at them blankly. Heero was trying, but didn't have the wherewithal to actually free himself...he could probably count the times he'd been tickled on one hand.

"Your turn?" Trowa asked brightly, and _launched_ from Heero.

Wufei's reaction was more instinct than awareness, but Trowa had been expecting that, too. The leg Wufei'd raised to fend him off was caught in his left hand, above the knee...and Trowa started pinching _his_ thigh as well.

Wufei squawked ungraciously for a moment, trying to free himself, but Trowa's hand was searching...and _found_ the spot.

"Wow," Li muttered blankly as Wufei laughed just as helplessly as she had. "_He_ is ticklish?"

"Only just," Heero returned, struggling to catch his breath.

"_I_ never thought you were," Matty noted, moving to drop on him and watch as Wufei tried to free himself. "How does _he_ know?"

"I have _no_ idea," Heero groaned, then blinked as Wufei started to fall. He and Trowa landed in a heap, and Jin poked his head from Wufei's room to look blankly...and disappear back inside.

Matty snickered.

"Yeah...I think anyone he sees is going to get attacked," Heero muttered, pushing himself up...then turned to blinked as Trowa started shouting "uncle" repeatedly...Wufei was hitting him.

Matty started laughing.

"Hey, Matt?" Blake muttered, watching down the hall as Trowa caught his breath on the floor, and Wufei sitting up beside him. "I have to go."

"I...can't take you," Matty muttered, blinking at him. "Uh...Heero?"

"Why don't you just try it?" Heero suggested. "Just go drop him off and come back...we didn't find anyone on base loyal to Jaden...I think they all left town. Keep your cell phone in your hand...and run him home. It'll take...ten minutes, fifteen?"

"I think that's a good idea," Wufei muttered, picking himself up from the ground and kicking at Trowa—which made Trowa laugh more.

"Trowa?" Blake muttered.

"Yeah?" Trowa asked, pushing himself up tiredly. "What's up?"

"I...have a date...tonight."

Trowa blinked at him.

"I know I've been...spending Fridays here and all...but..."

"That's fine," Trowa reassured him, climbing up carefully.

"You sure?" he asked hesitantly. "I just..."

"Its _fine_, Blake," Trowa reassured him. "I'll make Wufei and Jinli go out tonight, too."

"And take me to a movie," Lifon informed him primly.

"On a Friday night," Trowa agreed, nodding at her. "And your dad will be _perfectly_ okay with that."

She snickered.

"That's what I thought, no movie," he stuck his tongue out at her, then grinned at Blake. "Don't worry."

Blake smiled a little hesitantly at him, then looked to Matty.

Matty shifted uncomfortably, looking around to his sister, then Heero.

"I'll come," Li said brightly. "Then you won't be alone. You're starting school next term anyway, right? So you don't want this to bother you anymore...right?"

He frowned at her a moment, then nodded and gestured.

Heero watched as Matty darted into their room and dug around until he found his keys. He showed them to Heero with a slight smile, then turned and started for the exit.

"I don't like him going off by himself," Trowa said quietly as the noise of the three talking faded into the elevator.

"Me neither," Heero agreed, moving slowly down the hall. "Why the hell did you tickle me?"

"I tickled Li and Matty came to check out what was up—she said he was ticklish, and I decided it was a good idea to follow the distraction...and come on, you were _begging_ for it."

Heero gave him a look.

Trowa grinned, running a hand through his hair. "And you were just there," he added to Wufei.

"Gee," Wufei retorted, moving down the hall after the other. "What were you idiots doing, wrestling?"

"No...I was tickling Li," Trowa repeated. "Then went after Matt...but Blake grabbed me so him and Li were tickling me...just one of those downward spirals where I got ahold of Matt when he came back to join them."

Wufei snorted.

Trowa chuckled, then wandered back to his laptop, righting the chair to sit in it and consider the machine on the screen.

It wasn't really that expensive...for what it was, at least. Lifon gamed a bit and liked movies, so the graphics weren't too high...and the rest of it was comparable to the price.

"You sure you're not going gay?" Heero asked from the kitchen, pulling the fridge open. "That's awfully pink for a straight guy."

"I haven't been properly straight in like...a _month_," Trowa retorted, looking around to him blankly. "With you and Duo around, it's only a matter of time before Wufei goes under too—he was already talking about getting Duo to go down on him."

Heero snickered.

"_And_," Trowa called to be heard as he clicked a button, "he's willingly marked as _espoused_ at the base!"

"Shut-up!" Jinli protested that.

Wufei started laughing.

Heero grinned at him, then rolled his eyes. He glanced at the screen again, then started back from the second apartment.

If he didn't know any better, that laptop was the exact shade of purple as Lifon's phone. What was Trowa thinking? To buy it for her? That was an expensive gift to buy a girl you just liked...it was the sort of thing he'd do for Matty, but his and Matty's relationship was considerably more serious.

He shrugged slightly, putting that out of his mind. He needed to decide if he was going to go against Tro and build the closets again, or if he'd take Li's advice and make a loft area—and then ask her if she _really_ thought Duo, Wufei, and Jinli would like anything _zen_.

Heero shook his head, then moved to sit in the window.

- -

The day Trowa turned and attacked Matty, they were in the old apartment. They'd been talking about Li's loft idea...and Trowa'd just _turned_. He'd just..._moved_ at Matty. Heero thought he was going to have a heart attack, starting for Trowa, but there was something about how Trowa was moving that he couldn't get around. In the end, Trowa had Matty pinned to the wall, and after a moment of panic, realizing Heero couldn't get to him, Matty's eyes flashed. He lashed out with his legs and fell in a heap with Trowa on top of him...

"All you're doing is shoving at me," Trowa protested. "You have to figure out how to get me _off_..."

Heero's heart sank slowly from his throat. He'd known Trowa couldn't have gone over to the bad-guys...despite the fact that he'd thought the same about Wufei until they were fighting each other. The uncertainty and Trowa's skills had sent him _beyond_ thought...

And Trowa had still held him off.

Heero growled in frustration, turning to punch the wall. Matty was trying his damnedest to get away from Trowa, and hearing the gasping—the hint of fear there, he wanted to attack Trowa. He didn't know if that was an _okay_ response...he was pretty sure it was...Duo would probably be the same way...

"What are you doing!" Duo shouted, moving through the door to look at Heero in disbelief...and launched at Trowa.

Trowa started laughing—the sound was _far_ too pleased...but he did release Matty to fend Duo off. When he sent Duo flying at the wall, though, Heero decided it was time to get Matty away, because Duo flipped midair...and launched himself from the wall at Trowa.

The fight, because Duo hadn't realized what was happening, turned vicious. Trowa spun Duo away...and jumped up the wall himself.

"Heero!" Matty hissed, half starting for the fight.

"Let them play it out," Heero retorted, pulling back. He knew Trowa could do him one-up, and he wanted to know if Duo could, too. Not only that, though, but if he interrupted, he'd be brought in. It'd happened before.

"But..."

"No..." Heero pulled him back more...he was impressed, really. The walls had been incorporated into their fight, and since they both could run _up_ walls—parkour had been an amusement factor when they'd first gotten the apartment. Watching them made him think of a big-screen movie...except the part where he _knew_ Duo was trying to hurt Trowa.

The moment the fight stopped was a shock. Trowa had gone a step further up the wall than Duo, which put him above, and turned with the fall. Duo wasn't able to gather himself at all, and slammed into the floor with a thud.

Matty squeaked.

"I was _testing_ him," Trowa snarled, keeping Duo pinned. "_Testing_ him..."

Duo took a moment to understand the words, trying to dislodge Trowa...then stopped, blinking. "What?"

"I was _testing_ him," Trowa repeated, forcing himself to get off the other. He turned to attack the wall.

Duo blinked a few times, then looked up to Heero with wide eyes.

"You're _so_ annoying!" Trowa snarled, nearly kicking Duo and obviously forcing himself to stop...and stormed away, back into the old apartment.

Duo collapsed onto the floor, rubbing at his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Matty squeaked, moving to kneel next to him. "Duo?"

"He's _pissed_," Duo returned, moving his hands to look at Heero.

"You were _actually_ trying to hurt him," Heero agreed.

Duo frowned in response as he looked Matty over. "You do that often?"

"That?" the question was uncertain. "Which that?" Matty blinked as Duo gestured after Trowa, then shrugged a little uncomfortably, glancing at the wall. "He did it once before at the base."

Duo pushed himself up, glancing at Heero. "What are you lying about?"

"What?" Matty looked back to him sharply. "I didn't lie."

"Oh, but you don't want to say something," Duo studied his expression seriously. "I know you can lie better than that," he indicated the wall. "Which means you're avoiding something. What is it?"

"If I'm avoiding it," Matty hissed back, pushing himself to his feet, "why would I tell you?"

"Because Trowa's been riding the line of okay behavior since not long after he ranted at me to have some decorum."

"If it was worth mentioning," Matty snapped, starting for the apartment, "I'd have told Heero."

Duo watched him walk away, then looked up to Heero, raising an eyebrow.

"I figure if I press it, I'll get pissed at Trowa," Heero noted, looking after the guy. "And his adrenaline is up right now—that could make it fun...but very dangerous. He was handling Matty and keeping me away at the same time."

Duo ran a hand through his hair, which had grown out a bit, thinking. "He _has_ been working out, hasn't he?" he noted. "Holy shit, he won..."

"I had that same thought myself," Heero agreed wryly. "What do you think? Just toss him and Wufei in a room together? If we put him and Quatre together, they'll tear each other up."

"You worried you're at the bottom?" Duo asked, a grin lighting his face. He stopped, though, stretching his neck, then his arms. He winced a couple times as he did it, but didn't seem to have any problem. "I think I see what you mean, though...how the _fuck_ did he just kick my ass without hurting me?"

Heero snickered slightly, starting toward the apartment and his distraught boyfriend—okay, Matty may not have been _distraught_, but shit... "How did he keep me away from Matty?"

"Good point," Duo groaned, following after. "Trowa! You're an asshole!"

"Jump me again, fucker," Trowa retorted from his room.

Duo opened his mouth to retort but Heero rounded on him and he subsided.

"What?" Quatre asked, moving from the entryway. "What's going on?"

"Don't read me," Trowa ordered instantly, slamming his door shut.

Quatre jumped, blinking at the door, then looked back up to Duo and Heero blankly.

"He was testing Matt but all I saw was him...attacking...Matt."

"Why would he attack Matt?" Quatre asked blankly, moving up the hall to look to Heero for commiseration. "How does that _even_ make sense?"

"You'd have jumped him, too," Duo retorted, "if you heard the noises Matt was making."

Matty moved to the door to his and Duo's room to look at the three of them almost curiously.

"What?" Duo asked, blinking back.

"You keep calling me Matt."

"That..._would_ be your name," Quatre noted, vaguely amused.

"Only people who _don't_ know me call me Matt," he protested, leaning against Heero as the other moved around behind him. "It's weird to hear you saying it...and you both do it all the time," he looked between the two men, then looked at Quatre's hair. He averted his eyes quickly.

"Yes, I'm _aware_ that my roots are showing," Quatre retorted, giving him a look. "And doesn't it bug you?"

"What? Your roots?" the teen grinned wickedly. "They do."

Quatre smacked at him, snickering a bit, then shook his head. "I meant everyone calling you Matty...I mean..."

"My friends call me Matty," the guy shrugged. "Why would it bother me?"

"Because Matty seems like a kid's name," Duo decided, moving to lean against Quatre's back and kiss the top of his head as he wrapped his arms around the other. "Like you're a little boy or something."

Matty shrugged slightly, thinking that one over. "Only people who don't know me call me Matt...and as for names...don't call me Tox or Toxic, and we're fine."

They blinked at that.

"My...mom...called me Toxic," he explained, looking around a bit, then shook his head. "And everyone called me Tox growing up."

"Oh," Duo blinked, then squeezed at Quatre a bit.

"What?" Quatre muttered, turning to focus on him intently, kissing his jaw-line, then turning to hug him properly.

"Do we do that?" Matty muttered, pulling Heero into the room. "Stop mid-conversation and focus on each other?"

Duo started laughing, breaking the kiss to give them a look, then pull Quatre away toward their room.

"_Are_ you okay?" Heero asked quietly, allowing himself to be pulled in, then dropped onto the bed. "Do you want to tell me about whatever it was that happened?"

Matty sighed, glancing toward Trowa's room and shrugging. "I was throwing a fit at him and he pinned me to the locker...then said for me to break the hold myself. I got him in the balls and he couldn't walk right for an hour."

"See? I don't have to do anything," Heero grinned and kissed him. "No harm, no foul, right?"

"But you didn't get him for today," Matty noted in amusement.

Heero snickered. "I'll see what I can do...but I think he'd kick my ass."

Matty started laughing.

- -

Wufei had barely stepped into the apartment when Trowa loomed in front of him. He stepped back, initially thinking he'd interrupted his friend, but Trowa kept moving forward. There was something about him that seemed remarkably dangerous, and Wufei wasn't sure what had happened to piss him off—or why _he_ was being involved in it.

"I'm going out tonight," Trowa informed him, eye to eye. "Are you coming, or not?"

"What's wrong?" Wufei muttered, pulling back very slightly. "Why are you looming?"

"Looming?" Trowa snorted at him, then pinned him to the door by the throat. "Yes or no?"

Wufei remained very still a long moment, then snorted...and moved. He didn't care what Trowa was asking him, because the approach was a challenge. Wufei didn't intend to be beta.

Trowa laughed delightedly—but it sounded absolutely wicked...as he dodged backwards.

"Hey!" Matty shouted, moving from the hall and stopping. "You guys! Heero!"

Wufei didn't have time to focus properly on him, because Trowa really _had_ meant to fight. The asshole ran up the _wall_, too, but Wufei moved around below him toward the lonely little room they were storing stuff in...did he hurt Trowa or not? Was this a _fight_ or was it just a test? When Heero moved from the hall and pulled Matty back a step though...well, it didn't give Wufei much information. When Quatre and Duo joined Heero, though, it _did_ give him one thing. Duo and Heero were watching—Quatre was staring with incomprehension on his face...and Matty looked perturbed...but Duo and Heero's reaction was telling.

Fuckers.

The Chinese man focused on Trowa. He hadn't sparred or fought any of his friends in months, so he wasn't sure who had the upper hand between them. By the time Trowa was half running across the ceiling, Wufei's adrenaline had kicked in, and he avoided the other, meeting his eyes—he could see the same thrill there. He laughed wickedly and dropped back, avoiding one blow, then swinging his leg at Trowa's knees. He had a moment to realize that if it landed, he was going to fuck his friend over, but Trowa jumped it.

Unfortunately, the distraction of realizing he was about to cause probably permanent damage distracted him, and Trowa's leg swept in. They fell hard onto the floor, and while Wufei was still reeling from that, Trowa moved to pin him.

He groaned.

"Well, that answers that," Matty noted wryly, moving forward. "You okay, Fian?"

"My head is ringing," Wufei returned, moving his hands to it as he waited for the pain to recede. "Ow...Trowa..."

"Sorry," Trowa muttered, moving off him. "I didn't want to screw up your legs and that was all I could think of to stop it...I didn't mean for you to hit your head."

"...the _fuck_ were you doing, anyway?"

"Speaking...in...complete sentences?"

Wufei smacked him.

"I'm going out tonight," Trowa repeated his earlier comment pointedly. "Are you coming with me or not?"

"If I'm not concussed, fucker..."

Trowa laughed, then leaned down and scooped him off the floor...and slammed him to the wall. Wufei was about to protest that when Trowa started studying his eyes...and doing the other little tricks to test for concussions.

"Do you _feel_ better?" Matty demanded pointedly. "Have you made a day of it, or are you gonna try Quatre?"

Trowa laughed at that, shrugging at Wufei as he turned. "We can't test Quatre. He was trained damn good to protect himself, but not to...control it. Me and Duo were taught street fighting shit, and Heero and Wufei were full-on martial artists...but..."

"Were?" Wufei demanded dryly.

"You _were_ trained," Trowa agreed blandly. "Once upon a time you could kick my ass."

Wufei laughed at that and smacked him as he started into the kitchen.

He wondered if it was bad that he didn't mind that greeting. It probably was on some level, but it had been fun before his head hit the floor, so whatever.

"Where did your shirt go?" Matty asked blankly.

Everyone turned to actually look at Trowa, who blinked back at the kid before looking down to his bare chest. "I...took it off earlier," Trowa noted. "It's in my room."

"Why did you take it off?" Matty was confused.

"Because it had _blood_ on it," Trowa's return was partially dry, partially challenging. He looked him over from head to foot, then looked to Duo.

"I made you bleed?" Duo sounded wicked.

"I made _you_ bleed," Trowa purred almost in his ear as he walked slowly by him...and disappearing into his room.

"Did I make him bleed?" Wufei demanded, rolling his eyes.

"That was sort of hot," Duo noted, looking around to Heero. "Was it just me or was that sort of hot?"

"Yes, Heero," Quatre asked dryly, "was Trowa just hot to you?"

Trowa started laughing wickedly from his room.

"Uh...you're bitchy," Duo muttered to Quatre flippantly, turning and starting away.

"Because _everyone_ wants their lover noting some other guy is being hot...on _purpose_," he added toward Trowa's room.

Trowa laughed even more, sounding about delighted.

"He's an asshole," Heero noted, looking to Matty thoughtfully. "Had you noticed that?"

"I thought it was hot," Matty shrugged, starting toward the living room. "I think it was how he was moving..."

"His tone, and he's being all cocky because he topped me, Duo, and Wufei today. He's gonna have a big head for a day or two..."

Wufei watched as they moved to sit and listened as Duo and Quatre moved down the hall. Quatre was bickering with Duo, but there didn't seem to be any real heart in it...and Matty and Heero were discussing what about Trowa's action had struck them as hot.

"You idiots take into account that he's built?" Wufei asked dryly, drinking from his cup as he looked down the bar at them.

Heero cast him a knowing smirk.

"Don't even pretend you got under _my_ skin," Wufei retorted to that. "I just hear you dumbasses drooling over idiots who spend _all their time working out_," he made sure Trowa heard that one—but Trowa was already laughing again.

"Are you all right?" Matty asked him curiously, moving into the kitchen. "I'd ask Trowa, but I don't want him mistaking my concern." He pulled the fridge open.

Wufei laughed at that, ruffling the kid's hair. "We weren't trying to hurt each other. I realized he was testing me when he was looming and asking me if I wanted to go out tonight."

"He looms really good," Heero noted dryly. "Get me something?" he added to Matty.

Matty turned and opened the fridge again, pulling out another drink. He moved easily down to pass that over, then sat on the couch and sighed. "Fian?"

"Yes'm?" Wufei muttered, moving to join them on the couch.

"Could you teach me more self defense?" he muttered. "Duo was starting to, but he and Quatre are like...stuck at the hips...in the annoying way."

Wufei gave him a look.

Matty laughed happily, cuddling against Heero. "I just...I want to be able to really react, not just...shove...at anyone attacking me."

"You're doing good," Trowa protested, moving out with a shirt on. "Don't sell yourself short. For someone who was only taught a handful of moves by Duo, you aren't doing bad."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Duo demanded, moving into the area with a couple dirty cups in his hands. "That sounded bad."

"You've only taught him a few things," Trowa retorted. "We either need to get him through classes at the base, or start doing it ourselves. Personally, I think the base thing sounds like the best bet. We'll all be willing to let him pussy-out if he gives us puppy-dog eyes...they'll make him persist."

"_That_ wasn't derogatory or anything," Matty noted dryly.

Trowa snickered at that and gave him a look. "Don't misunderstand me. Once you get deep into the training, it gets hard and you want to stop. You think you'll just take a break for a week or two, but if you're like me, you won't go back...or was that because I already have a way to fight?" he looked to Duo uncertainly.

"A little of both," Duo noted, grabbing a drink out of the fridge. "What the hell got into you today?" he added. "Why did you suddenly decide you needed to fight us?"

"I didn't suddenly decide to fight you," Trowa retorted. "I was just thinking that Matty needs to be able to react on the fly if shit starts happening. I thought I'd talked about it with Heero before, but evidently not because he spazzed as bad as you did."

"I'm sorry, but you _scared_ him," Heero snapped back.

"That's the _point_," Trowa retorted. "If he's just fucking around with me it's one thing—he'll get all cocky and pull some move on me that would make my reaction violent and I'd take it so not to hurt him..."

Matty smirked at that.

"If I scare him," Trowa went on, moving to sit in the recliner, "it'll be a much closer reaction to what'd really happen."

"And it's not like I'm scared _of_ him," Matty added. "It's more of a...I can't get away...which sounds worse, I suppose, but it's not."

Trowa grinned at him.

"And he hasn't gotten laid in a week or two," Quatre noted happily, moving into the kitchen.

Heero, Duo, and Wufei snickered at that.

"He was the one who set it up with Blake," Matty noted happily—there wasn't even a _hint_ of sympathy in his tone. "And he's the one who said it was fine that Blake dated."

"No one said I wanted to date and or do anything more than get laid," Trowa reminded him. "And I'm going out tonight."

"And before you make some comment and wake up embarrassed," Wufei cut in as the teen opened his mouth, "when Trowa decides he's going out and is walking around the house topless, he'll come home with two or three chicks...at least, I'm hoping it'll be chicks tonight," he glanced at Trowa pointedly.

Trowa laughed wickedly, taking another drink.

"Two or three?" Matty demanded.

"It depends on who all remains behind who I think need laid," Trowa shrugged innocently. "You're not coming out?" he added to Wufei, turning to him in concern. "I thought you said you would if you felt okay."

"I don't know," he sighed. "I still haven't decided if you really concussed me or not."

Trowa snorted at him, then sat back and ran a hand through his hair. "Why is it that when I stop being picky, the two easiest bastards in the world are in relationships?"

"I'm not sure if that was really complimentary, or really offensive," Duo noted, looking to Heero. "What did you get out of it?"

"Matty, wanna threesome?" Heero grinned wickedly at Duo.

Trowa laughed at that, pushing himself up. "So, with or without you," Trowa noted to Wufei, "I'm bringing someone home for you and Jin both..."

Their phones beeped.

"You hear that, Jinli?" Trowa asked as the door opened. "I'm getting you laid."

"That's almost an interesting prospect," Lifon called back happily. "But you have the wrong Li."

Matty started laughing.

"Oh, hey, sweet," Trowa smiled at her. "Sorry, I thought you were going to Eve's today."

"I was going to, but she's a bitch," Li shrugged, moving into the kitchen to open the fridge. "She decided that she _really_ had to watch this movie called Rewind..."

"That's the one where the snotty modern daughter goes back in time and is a peasant in the medieval era, right?" Trowa asked, moving to the cupboards and pulling out a package of cookies, which he slid to her down the counter. "I thought you said it was a B movie."

"It's a cult," she corrected, digging out another drink and smiling at Matty. "How are you?"

"Not bad...what's this, now?" Matty followed after.

Li moved down into the sunken area, and as she did so, she moved over and flicked on the radio. She took a moment to adjust the volume before moving to sit at the little table and open the cookies. "What playlist?"

"I'd say dirty, but Blake decided to make it actually dirty—and I have some amusing associations for that...so dark?"

"I don't feel like dark," she protested, swinging his laptop around and opening his music program.

Matty stared at her as she flicked through the options and finally started a playlist, then looked back up to him with a smile. "You remember that movie, right? I remember you telling me it was a stupid girl movie."

"Yeah," Matty hesitated, sitting in that chair.

"Watch it," Trowa muttered, moving up behind as he set a notebook and bunch of grapes in front of Li.

Matty moved from the chair uncertainly, then around to third. "Which is Eve, again?"

"Dark hair," Trowa explained, indicating a curly length with his free hand. "Likes telling Li to make me buy her more stuff."

Lifon giggled at that.

"Ade is the one who thinks I'm trying to make her fall in love with me," Trowa added, rolling his eyes and opening a program on his machine. "They're both twits who fall in love with every other guy who's popular...but that's just me being annoyed because they think I'm some lascivious stalker."

"Lascivious stalker?" Lifon asked, then giggled more. "I don't know about the stalker bit..."

Matty looked between them, then frowned slightly at Trowa. "What are you doing?"

"She decided that once a week she wants to go over the vocab from Spanish and there's a site for the standardized tests on English vocab."

"And I need to decide how many people I _really_ want for my party," she noted, messing with the ends of her hair and staring into the distance.

"Tro?" Matty asked quietly.

"Hm?" Trowa logged into the account they'd made.

"What was her GPA?"

"Um...three point seven?" he looked to her for confirmation.

"Five," she corrected. "I was trying for the seven."

"Yeah...that," Trowa grinned at Matty. "Why?"

"Was just thinking about scholarships and stuff," Matty shrugged casually. "I mean, she's almost seventeen, she'll graduate next year."

"With A.P. classes," Trowa shot at her almost accusingly.

"I don't want to put the effort into the class," she bickered. "I can take the test at the end of the year."

"Don't half-ass your free education," Trowa chided. "I tell you and tell you that that sheet of paper that'll make people call you _doctor_ Williams is expensive and time-consuming...and you have to really _want_ it."

"Its _summer_," she pouted at him. "I've only had a week without classes, and you're still all over me about it!"

"For some reason," Trowa noted dryly, "I'd love to see you _succeed_, with _minimal_ effort."

She blew out her nose at him.

Trowa rolled his eyes and looked back to Matty.

"And...Ade is the one who went to the movies with you two last time?"

"No, that was Eve," Trowa corrected casually, then turned the laptop for Li to see. "And I'm not taking her again, because I'm pretty sure she was trying to hold my hand."

"What was your first clue?" Li asked dryly, shifting forward to study the screen.

"When she grabbed my hand," Trowa retorted.

Matty closed his eyes.

"Anyway, you wanna sit here and keep time for her?" Trowa was interested as he looked back to Matty. "Heero said something a few minutes ago that caught my attention."

Matty _guffawed_ at him, rising to his feet—that was almost offensive.

The phones beeped.

"Hey, Li!" Trowa called happily as the door opened. "I thought you were going to your friend's..."

"_What?_" Jin asked blankly, staring at him and looking to Li a moment as she laughed.

"Oh!" Trowa shook his head sharply. "Wait, I mean I'm gonna get you laid tonight."

"I'm straight," Jin reminded him with a raised eyebrow—the others in the living room were laughing

"Not by me, dipshit," Trowa snickered, "though..."

"Trowa!" Lifon smacked his arm.

Trowa laughed again. "I'm going out tonight—so if you're not coming with me, be ready when I come in, because three girls can get demanding."

"Say _what_ now?" Lifon asked in a flat disbelieving voice.

"Don't worry," he muttered dryly, "you count as all three on your own."

She laughed at that as Matty smacked a hand to his face.

"If you're not out here when I bring them in," Trowa added, "there's a high chance that they'll end up in bed with me. Wufei knows the drill, he'll give you the rundown."

"What makes you think I want your cast-offs?" Jin demanded in disbelief.

"He doesn't give us the cast-offs," Wufei returned dryly. "He lets us pick which one we want and takes the last one to bed himself...he's generous."

"That is so _wrong!_" Li protested.

"And _so_ not the conversation to have with the teeny-bopper _girl_ in the house," Quatre agreed pointedly.

Trowa sighed, looking around to the girl and shrugging. "Sorry, adult matters, you understand."

She narrowed her eyes at him, tapping her fingernails pointedly on the table-top.

Trowa gave her a very wide-eyed innocent look.

"I'm calling dad," Matty muttered dryly, rising to his feet. "I want to explain to him quick-like that you're warping his baby girl."

"I am _not_," Trowa protested after him. "Heero says _you_ use your nails, too!"

Lifon started giggling.

"Even _I_ know that's not what he was talking about," Heero noted happily, moving into the kitchen. "Lifon-baby, come away from the pervert now, come on..." he gestured her toward him.

Lifon kept giggling, then refocused on the screen.


	8. Seven

**A/N:** just noting that this was a 2 chapter update and this was the 2nd chapter. If you feel you're missing things, just be aware that every update I've done so far is a 2 chapter update and they will continue to be lol.

- -

**Seven**

"Shh, people are sleeping," Trowa whispered, trying to move into the house with a girl under either arm, and one clinging to his waist. They were giggling at and chattering at him, and his chiding blew right over their heads.

"Oh, hey," Wufei greeted from where he was in the kitchen with his shirt off and a cup in hand. "I was starting to wonder if you'd come home."

Trowa laughed at that. "This is Tia, Mia, and Mary," he declared...which made them guffaw and protest that. He laughed it off as absentmindedness from so many pretty eyes, but it was more like a code. It was very simple, too. He wanted the one he'd called Mia, and making up fake names for all three meant that Wufei would understand him without issue.

Wufei made a disappointed hissing sort of noise, shaking his head as he drank from the cup. "I should have gone out with you...you got three beauties all to yourself, it's not fair..."

One of the girls turned to give him a considerate look, then looked back to Trowa, who was busy being kissed and didn't notice. She smiled, moving away from him to look Wufei's abs over with interest. "Why didn't you go out?"

"I had some things to finish up here—barely got them done in time to hear him coming in."

"Aww," she murmured, moving around the island, then spotted Jinli, who had a wife-beater on and was sitting on the couch. His expression was interested. She smiled brightly at him, then moved around to look Wufei over again. "It's...awfully crowded back there," she noted.

"Not very crowded right here," he agreed, grinning at her.

"You missed the good shit," Trowa murmured, moving to stand by the end of the island and look around. "Oh, hey, Jin..." he shifted so the other girl could see the man. The first had already moved up and was talking to Wufei quietly.

"You had stuff to do, too?" the woman asked, looking Jin over.

Jin nodded, rising to his feet and moving closer.

"I tell you what," she muttered, pulling away from Trowa. "I was more interested in her," she indicated the one with Wufei, "than her," she indicated the one with Trowa. "So if you're free..." she looked him up and down.

"Such an offer," he retorted, looking her over, then smirked slightly. "I am free, though, so..."

She laughed and turned to kiss Trowa. "Sorry, love, I know you'd be fun, but the mixed group needs to be balanced."

Trowa grinned, watching her follow Jin down the living room. Wufei started laughing as that girl backed him against the counter, and he looked down to his new friend. "Why don't we go to my room, huh?"

- -

Heero wasn't entirely sure what it was, but he started noticing a lot of little things about Trowa's relationship with Lifon. Matty had pointed out to him before, but Trowa seemed to know almost all the everyday details of Lifon's life. He texted with her daily, called her...and as the week before her birthday moved on, Matty was delving more into their relationship.

There seemed to be more between them than just friends, and Matty wasn't sure if he was okay with that or not.

"Hey," Sean, the one doorman muttered. "Mr. Tsuyo...I got a couple packages here for Rigel."

"Mr. Tsuyo?" Heero demanded, moving up to him. "What's that about?"

"New tenants," the man explained dryly. "I get back into the habit when I'm trying not to offend people. I still haven't figured out why I like this job," he set two boxes on the counter between them and shoved a clipboard to him.

"You get to work with hot guys?" Heero offered happily, signing his assumed name.

"That's not _my_ quirk, Mr. Tsuyo," the man reminded him pointedly, though he was grinning.

Heero grinned back, taking the boxes. "I'd tip you but I'm out of cash right now."

"Double next time," the man retorted.

Heero laughed, moving into the elevator and scanning his pass.

The boxes...were sort of heavy. He frowned, wondering what the hell Trowa had ordered. Normally when he was expecting something, he was excited about it.

He shook his head.

No use worrying about it, Trowa'd show them as soon as he got home.

- -

"Trowa?"

"Hey, birthday girl," Trowa greeted Lifon. "What are you doing calling me? I am _not_ going to come over and hang out with your little girlfriends who think I'm a pervert."

She laughed a little at that, then started to cry.

"Li?" Trowa protested, blinking at his laptop screen. "What's wrong? What's going on?"

"I was going to have everyone stay the night," she explained. "But a lot of my friends aren't even _in_ town to come...and Eve is such a _bitch_!"

"What's wrong?" Trowa protested, shifting forward where he sat. "What did Eve do?"

"She and Ade are going to a movie," Li retorted bitterly. "And I don't have money right now, so I can't go."

"They're ditching your party for a movie?" Trowa asked in disbelief. "You're kidding, right?"

She started crying again. "They'll come over when it's done..."

Trowa groaned to himself, running his hand through his hair.

"The party doesn't start until five anyway," she added tiredly. "So it's not like they'll miss it..."

"Wonderful," Trowa sighed. "All right...so...why don't you come over here?"

"So you can lecture me about school again?" she pouted.

"Don't get all pissy with me," he retorted, rising to his feet. "I've got something to finish up here, alright? And then I'll come over and get you. It should be...ten minutes, max."

She sniffled again. "Alright..."

"Good," he muttered, moving into his room. "I'll be there soon."

"I'm calling Matty," she muttered. "Tell him when you leave?"

She hadn't called Matty yet?

"Alright," Trowa reassured her, pulling out the roll of lavender wrapping paper he'd picked up. Her favorite color was that shade, but she really liked the dusty pastels. He'd bought her a couple rolls of tape stuff, too, one in a pink color and one in grey. She'd decked her phone out in it, and she could use that to...he looked to the box the laptop was in as he closed the phone.

It was a good thing Heero'd brought the packages up when he had or Trowa would have had to carry them into the apartment with her there.

He made quick-work of wrapping the two boxes. It wasn't hard to wrap a box, and it hadn't been hard to buy a roll of iridescent ribbon that reflected in the shades she preferred. The colors seemed...ashy...to him. That sort of thing always caught his attention anymore because of her.

He sighed after a moment, pulling out his pen and scribbling "Lifon" into the tags that had come with the ribbon. He'd been planning to ask Matty if boots and a laptop were too much, but if her friends were really the assholes they seemed, she needed the booster—and he couldn't send the laptop back anyway.

It took him a moment to situate the things on the table behind his laptop, and he considered them a moment before turning for the door and hesitating. "Oi, Matty..."

Matty poked his head from his and Heero's room with his phone to his ear.

"I'm going," Trowa explained.

Matty gave him a look that suggested he thought that was weird, then nodded.

Trowa shook his head and moved from the apartment. Li probably hadn't gotten to the part where Trowa was getting her yet—she'd get to it, and probably before he showed up on her doorstep, too.

- -

Matty was almost seething as he closed his phone and stormed from his and Heero's room. He really hated that Lifon's best friends were rich snobs, he always had. It hadn't started to matter until they'd reached middle-school, though, and as high-school carried on, the girls were getting worse about always having money...and their own cars.

That was probably the kicker. He'd only barely managed to buy his piece of junk machine, and there was no way his father could _afford_ another one yet. He and Matty had planned a whole year in advance to get that stupid thing...

"What's up?" Heero asked, moving from the old apartment.

"Lifon needs a rich boyfriend," Matty explained irritably. "Then she wouldn't have a care in the world."

Heero grinned, then tilted his head. "You look upset."

"Her two best friends took off to a movie before her party, and she can't go because she can't pay her own way."

"I can give her the cash," Heero protested, reaching for his wallet. "A movie is cheap, isn't it?"

"That's not the whole problem," Matty returned, digging into the fridge. "Her friends say it sucks that she doesn't have money, but they don't try to pool up to get her in or anything. Taili and Abel had barely any more money than my family, and they would pool it so I could go to things with them."

"I guess," Heero sighed. "I can give her pocket money...would that upset your dad?"

"I don't know," Matty sighed and moved into his arms. "She called me crying—it's her damn birthday and she called me crying. She called Trowa first," he added dryly. "He went to get her, they'll be back in ten or fifteen minutes...but..."

"Look," Heero pointed at the table in the sunken living room.

Matty turned to look as well, blinking at the packages piled on top of the little table.

"Those were for _her_?" Heero added, moving around to look at the things from other sides. "And this is a weird-ass color-scheme, isn't it?"

Matty _stared_.

"What?" Heero muttered. "What is that look?"

". . . I think. . . Trowa likes my sister," Matty returned blankly.

Heero looked at him in confusion. "What was your first clue? Them hanging out all the time?"

Matty pointed at the pile, ignoring the question. "Those are all of Li's favorite colors...and those sizes don't suggest small things."

"They're heavy," Heero agreed thoughtfully. "I wanted him to tell me what they were dammit."

"She called _him_ before she called me...and she's heart-broken right now. I used to be the one she called first."

Heero blinked at him, realizing he hadn't meant like' the way Heero'd thought.

"I'm calling my dad," Matty noted, turning away. "I think we should...leave them this moment..." he waved a hand at the pile. "Come on."

Heero shook his head again, closing their bedroom door.

He really wanted to hear _this_ conversation with Taofa Williams. He felt it might be...interesting...to say the least.

- -

"...so I think he..._really_ likes her, dad..."

"What was your first clue?" Taofa demanded dryly. "When they started hanging out all the time?"

Matty went quiet.

"Son," Taofa added, "sometimes, when a man really likes a girl, they spend time together..."

Matty guffawed at that. "No, Dad, I'm serious..."

"So am I," Taofa retorted. "So far you haven't had a girlfriend, so the basics may have escaped you."

Matty snickered slightly. "But..."

"I'm _watching_ the situation," Taofa reassured him. "I've been watching it since it started. So far there hasn't been anything she won't tell me, so I'm not quite worried yet—though with him going to pick her up today I'm wondering if I should be."

"You...knew?" Matty asked blankly. "Since when?"

"Since he bought her that stupid phone," Taofa retorted. "When she started really talking to him she had his full and complete attention, and then they started playing together. Do you realize that there's not a day that goes by that I don't _hear_ about Trowa in some fashion or another? It's almost as bad as when you first started seeing Max, just not focused on the sex."

Matty started laughing.

"Anyway," Taofa sighed, "I wasn't able to give her any money this week—I had to use it for her present and this party. Don't be too hard on Eve and Ade. Li didn't want to see that movie at all, and today is the last day it's at the theater. I told her last night that I could probably dig up the money for her to go with them and she said no...so...don't judge her friends too harshly."

Matty sighed. It was easy to forget that his sister could be a drama-queen. That didn't make her any less heartbroken to be left out on her birthday, but the situation would resolve by the time she got home—shit, probably in five minutes when she got into their apartment.

"So I'll talk to you later," Taofa added. "Don't worry too much about Trowa. I trust that he won't cross the line of propriety, and if he does...well...what's the age of consent in California?"

Matty guffawed.

"Don't even pretend you didn't use that tired old line on _me_, Mattox Ray."

The younger snickered.

"It wasn't all _that_ long ago that you were seventeen screwing with boys from your school. At least I'm still sure _she's_ a virgin."

That made Matty laugh.

"So," Taofa summed up, "I'll see you tonight at five."

"What? She's having her party at six..."

"Yes, but me, you, and your friends are having a little pre-party party for her that will be over by six, that way your friends aren't ogling the jailbait."

Matty started laughing again.

"I suppose I should text them, huh?" Taofa added happily. "They might want to know in advance."

- -

Trowa followed Lifon into the house, listening as she rambled on. He'd started her talking about a movie that she'd been waiting for, one that was still a month away. He'd promised to take her on opening night, and that had helped her calm down...now to see if he'd overstepped himself with gifts.

She moved onto the stairs, then stopped, blinking at the table. Trowa doubted there could be any doubt in her mind that the things were for her...no one else in his house cared much about colors at all, let alone feminine ones.

"These...are for me?" she asked blankly, turning to look at him.

He smiled slightly at her, then nodded his head at the things.

She gave him a look, moving down the stairs as well to pick up the top box. Trowa moved to the stereo as she opened it, turning it on, then moved back to his laptop to start her playlist.

"I wasn't sure I wanted to give you both things," he added, looking up to her as she lifted the lid on the shoe-box.

She smiled at the boots a moment, then looked up to him. "Is _that_ why you said to just wear my flipflops?" she protested, then giggled and moved like she'd sit.

"Open the other one first," he chided. "You don't have socks anyway."

She gave him a look, but obeyed, setting the boots on the chair to start pulling at the paper of the other. Her expression was intrigued...until she uncovered the front.

She squeaked.

Trowa smiled a little, watching her face as she tore more at the box—and definitely noted the sticker mark "_customized_" on the bottom.

She squeaked again.

"What's wrong?" Matty demanded, spilling into the living-room area and stopping as she saw what was going on.

Lifon squeaked at him, pulling the paper off the box entirely before meeting her brother's eyes...and _flew_ into Trowa's arms. He accepted the hug, and after a moment he could make out the words thank you' in her noise.

"_Open_ it," he chided, pushing her toward the box again as he smiled. "How do you know it's not just a rock?"

She gave him a look, then focused on the box.

"Sorry," Matty muttered, moving to stand beside Trowa with his lip between his teeth—it was just as cute when he did it as when she did... "I just heard her, and..."

"Its fine," Trowa reassured him, looking back to the girl as she pulled the slim purple thing out.

She gasped, setting it on top of the box...and stared at her name.

He'd written it in a way she'd liked—she liked his writing when it was fast, and had begged him to write her name just like that on one of her notebooks. She'd been trying to get him to do more, but he'd protested and she'd given over. The lettering, however, was the white iridescent that shimmered colors.

"Trowa..." Matty gasped, moving forward himself to stare at the thing, then opened the large screen...and iridescent letters on the keyboard.

Lifon stared at the thing with a hand over her mouth, then looked up to him.

He smiled slightly at her. "Happy birthday," he muttered, moving around to offer her his arms. She had tears in her eyes.

"This is...Trowa..." Matty sounded almost breathless.

For some reason, Trowa wasn't noticing what Matty was saying, though. He was studying Li, watching her reaction...her upturned lips...her...

The kiss was sweet and after the initial moment of impulse passed, very tenuous. Trowa sighed slightly, pulling away from that and pressing his forehead to hers. _That_ had been beyond any intention he'd ever had...and if he kept at it, things would go in ways he'd never expected.

Matty cleared his throat, shifting where he stood a little uncomfortably.

"Thank you," Li whispered, studying his eyes as she buried her face into his neck. "Thank you..."

Trowa hugged her tightly, then raised his eyes to look at Matty.

Yeah, the laptop had been a bit over the top...but customizing it hadn't cost that much after the price of the machine itself—and since it was so extensively customized, Taofa couldn't prevail on him to return it.

How much alcohol had he had that night? Or had he ordered it on a night when Blake had come over? He couldn't recall.

"I...uh...I'm going in my room...uh...happy birthday, Li."

Lifon started giggling, turning to pull him into a hug and whisper something that included the word tastes'. It made Matty grin wickedly at her and glance briefly at Trowa, then grin more and pull away.

"Say what now?" Trowa asked, burying his urge to be cocky. He wanted to know what she thought he tasted like—there had been no tongue in that kiss, so what tasted like what?

Li gave him one of her cute looks, then moved back into his arms, wrapping her own around his body as best she could a moment.

"I think I got a little carried away on the customization," he admitted. "I guess the keyboard was a little...but I was bored."

She laughed at that, squeezing him.

Trowa crushed her to his chest a moment, then kissed the top of her head and pulled away. "Turn it on...let's get it set up so you can be all kicked back on your couch when your friends show up...but, uh, I suggest you don't mention the kiss."

She started giggling wickedly, smacking at him, but then her focus changed to the machine.

It was almost too bad he hadn't taken a moment longer to enjoy that, but he had to remind himself that he was older than her, and his expectations were probably on a whole different level than hers.

He clicked next on the song that'd been playing, dropping into his chair as she bounced around to plug the machine in...and had the brilliant realization.

_No_ one in his house would _ever_ let him live **_that_** shit down...**_ever_**.

He grinned, pulling his eyes away from her...he was going to call Blake and _beg_ his ass to come over, boyfriend or no...and he'd really just thought that. He'd really **_really_** just thought that.

...ah well. No use crying over spilled milk...just had to get the cat from the barn and make _its_ day.

- -

"Oh, Daddy..." Lifon flew across the foyer and into her father's arms.

"Daddy?" he demanded. "What do you want now?"

She started giggling at that, hugging him again, then tugging at him. He followed after her, blinking a few times as he noticed her boots...down the steps.

The first thing he really noticed was how much Trowa was _watching_ him.

Really, now?

"Look," Li whispered, indicating a second laptop.

"Uh-huh, nice," Taofa returned, looking back to the boots. He pointed at them.

Lifon started giggling her truly innocent giggle...and closed the top of the laptop.

. . .that was her name. Why did that laptop have her name...digitally...skinned...into the very _make_ of the thing.

He stared at that in amazement a long moment, then looked around to Trowa...who jumped to his feet.

Ah, so he'd realized the gift was over the top, too. At least he'd gotten the damn colors right...but if he was jumping to his feet...that went _beyond_ the outer customization.

"I...uh...customized it," Trowa indicated the case as if it weren't the most obvious thing in the room.

"..._baby, down, open wide_..."

Trowa laughed nervously, and _very_ quickly tried to change the song that had been playing on the radio.

"..._maybe just let me inside_..."

"Shit," Trowa leaned down to look at his laptop better.

Lifon turned to the stereo and hit the power button, then looked back to her father.

"I can expect _him_ to listen to that stupid shit," Taofa noted dryly, leaning over to open her laptop. "But _you_?"

As he'd suspected when Trowa freaked, the music was on _her_ laptop.

Dear lord, the lunatic had bought her a laptop.

"Dear...lord..." he muttered, starting to laugh weakly as he dropped into the chair.

"Daddy?" Li asked in concern.

"Uh...Mr. Williams..."

"Mr. Williams?" Taofa asked the man levelly. "Did you have _sex_ with my daughter?"

Lifon's face flushed as Trowa started, blinking down at him.

"You mother-fucker," Taofa started in mild disbelief...very mild. He couldn't even manage to be offended...that'd come later, he was sure, but...

"I...I didn't," Trowa said quickly, the nervous manner changing—not in a guilty way, though. He'd been acting very much like any one of Li's little boyfriends would there for a minute. "I..." he mouthed a few times, looking to the girl.

"It was just a kiss!" she squeaked, then clapped her hands to her mouth as she looked to him.

That worked? Really? Taofa looked back to Trowa with that same skeptical expression.

"I swear I'd never...I wouldn't...she...I..."

Matty started laughing, moving from the living-room.

Trowa made a frustrated noise, gesturing the boy to Taofa pointedly.

"Where have _you_ been?" Taofa demanded of him—he hadn't decided if he still trusted Trowa or not. "Why would you let _this_ lunatic..."

"Let?" Matty protested happily, bouncing over to hug him from behind. "It was the cutest damn thing in the world—and he didn't do it. _She_ did."

Taofa looked up to his daughter.

She hung her head.

"And it was one cute little kiss before Trowa pulled away. I think this...lunatic," he grinned at Trowa, "is worried about you accepting the laptop more than the fact that your baby-girl coulda ended up in his bed."

"Matty," Trowa protested.

"I know you _wouldn't_," Matty retorted, giving him a look. "But you _could_, couldn't you?"

Trowa scowled at him.

Matty snickered, then looked back to his father. "She was overcome and hugged him...and kissed him. Can't we _skin_ him, though? Would you look at this shit?" he happily opened the computer properties to show a disgustingly large harddrive with matching ram...and a processor that made his work computer look old.

Taofa looked up to Trowa.

"I won't buy a machine I don't feel is worth it," Trowa noted quietly. "I have minimum standards that tend to only be met when the other...stats...are higher end."

"You'll let me repay half it, I trust," Taofa muttered, feeling his stomach start to sink.

"No," Trowa returned. "Nor will you ever find out how much it cost. It can't be returned because of the customization, and much like our phones, we have our security set-up in the system. If you sell the machine, we'll deactivate it," he shrugged. "Or if it's stolen...or if she tells us to."

Taofa glared at him.

"I'd giggle and say that Heero had nothing to do with it," Matty informed the man happily, having pulled up the task-manager. "But that thing there? That process is registered under Mad-Max."

Taofa rubbed at his face.

"He should market his shit," Matty noted to Trowa. "Mad-Max with like...a mad-hatter with a Cheshire-cat grin."

Lifon giggled.

"It'd make his ass rich," Matty added to her, then, thought about it. "Er. Richer."

"And it would also compromise my security," Heero noted, moving into the room himself to consider Trowa a moment. He moved, then, and hovered over the laptop. While Matty and Taofa watched, Heero started doing _things_ to the machine. Screens flicked open as he typed, then closed again. One after the other, screens flashed until it beeped at him in protest. He snorted, waiting a moment, then went back to _whatever_ he was doing.

"What?" Trowa demanded, trying to look himself. He couldn't see around his friend though. "What are you doing?"

"Checking...the...integrity," Heero noted thoughtfully. "I didn't plan for this model, and if you recall, I made you alter the program yourself for your...ha."

Trowa sighed.

"Would you look at that?" Heero pulled away to glower at Trowa. "You did it again and didn't warn me—if you hadn't _mentioned_ you bought her this thing, I might have destroyed it when I logged onto _my_ laptop again..."

"I planned to tell you when you came out of your room," Trowa protested. "You've been in there all day..."

"Matty suggested we make ourselves scarce since Li'd had such a shitty morning and you got her _this_..."

Taofa looked to his son levelly.

"Tattle-tale," Matty muttered, smacking at Heero's leg.

"Oh, you hadn't told him?" Heero looked back to his friend blankly. "Why?"

"Because he thought they'd slept together, and if I hadn't come out because she squeaked I wouldn't have realized anything was going on."

Heero snorted at him.

"I would _not_..." Trowa started.

"I'm not saying you _would_," Matty cut him off before going on. "And you can't tell me it's beyond you because I _saw_ those three girls you brought home for Wufei and Jin, and I saw them leave in the morning."

Trowa grinned at him.

"Pig," Li added happily, sitting down to kick her feet and study her boots. She thought, though, looking up to her father. "What are you doing here?"

"I said we were having a party for you at my house for them," he indicated Heero, who was still leaning over him to type on the machine. "And Quatre pointed out it'd be easier for me to come here since you were here already."

"Quatre's home?" Li asked blankly.

"And Duo," Heero agreed in amusement. "They came in through the old apartment."

Trowa shot him a venomous look.

Taofa studied Heero a long moment, then looked around to Matty.

Matty laughed nervously. "She...had...a bad day?"

"I love you," Li informed Matty happily. "Let that sustain you through it."

Matty cast her a dark look and hit her leg.

"Don't hit your sister," Tao ordered him irritably.

Matty hung his head.

"I need to get some stuff from my car," Tao added, rising to his feet and glowering at his son. "Trowa, why don't you come help me?"

"Because I don't want to die a horrible death," Trowa retorted, then sighed and stood. "Listen, Mr. Williams..."

"Mr. Williams my _ass_," Taofa retorted.

Trowa fell silent and cast another sour look to Heero.

"Oh, Tao is here?" Quatre appeared from his room. "Hi, Taofa."

"Hey, Quatre," the man returned without slowing, then moved into the hall.

Trowa shot Quatre a venomous look that got a confused return, then followed the man into the hall. He followed along obediently, then stopped as the man pulled the door to the stairs open and looked at him. There was nothing to do but go past him.

"So...Mr. Barton," the man muttered, following after him and stopping as he took the first step.

Trowa glanced back as he stepped again...and felt a foreboding shiver as the man's fingertips slid up the back of his neck and into his hair.

Well, there were a lot of traits that family held true.

He froze, waiting for whatever would happen next.

"I _know_ I don't have to _have_ this conversation with you."

"Yet you're still trying to turn me on," Trowa retorted.

The man's hand tightened.

Trowa laughed, situating himself better and leaning back. He'd lost some of his flexibility over the years, but not even half of it. At the angle he was at, Taofa didn't have the proper leverage to grab or pull. "Something you wanted to talk to me about?" he asked sweetly.

"If I even suspect you're overstepping yourself," the man returned evenly, "I will report you to the police _and_ your superior."

Trowa blinked languidly up at him.

"I like you, Trowa," he added, tightening his hand and stepping down a step to get a better grip. "I don't want to hate you...and the one sure thing is to hurt my children."

"I assure you, Mr. Williams," Trowa hissed through clenched teeth, "I have no intentions of harming your daughter in _any_ way."

"You can tell me what she's done every day this past week," the man noted. "You can tell me which of her friends made a stupid comment. You could probably tell me her favorite book."

Trowa frowned at him.

"What I'm getting at," the man said seriously, "is that over the past few months, you've been building a solid relationship with her, and if she's _kissing_ you, then you've laid yourself a wonderful foundation for the rest of her fucking life."

"So what do you want me to do?" Trowa snapped. "Break up with her? That's funny...and fair."

The man's eyes flashed wickedly, and he yanked at Trowa's hair. Trowa started to topple, then caught it and decided to go with the motion. He used his hands to flip backwards, landing in a crouch on the top stair as Taofa backed down a few more stairs quickly.

"I have _no_ intentions for your daughter," Trowa hissed at the man. "I do not plan to pursue a relationship with her. The fact of the matter is that her friends are arrogant asses, and she needed someone to talk to who wasn't going to judge her and leave her behind. It ended up being a damn good call, because I got myself a damn good friend—the fact that she's cute as hell doesn't hurt, and the naivete is utterly adorable. If she were a few years older I'd be all over that shit, but since she's not, she's my friend. Sweet, attentative, and in need of a good friend herself. I'll stop buying her expensive things now...and if you want to get her a car you can look to me for a loan...but that kiss?" he studied the man's eyes. "Sweetest thing in the world, and utterly unexpected. _I have no plans for your daughter_."

Taofa glowered up at him, then turned and started down the stairs.

Trowa sighed, following after as he rubbed at his hair. "Matty grabbed me like that before."

"Did he?" the man asked tightly. "Was this before or after you decided he was hot?"

"After," Trowa returned dryly. "The morning after I first fucked Blake."

Taofa stopped, turning to look at him.

"Sometimes I wonder if I _am_ a lunatic," Trowa noted dryly, moving beyond the man. "That shit's a turn-on."

"Every time I think I have you figured out," the man noted dryly, "you come up with some other weird-ass shit and blindside me again. Why in the _hell_ did you buy her that laptop?"

"Because her old one died and there's no point to fixing it," Trowa retorted.

"And customizing it?"

"Two reasons. We may as well say that the second was to piss you off. The first is because she _deserves_ to stand out."

"Why can't I hate you?" the man demanded petulantly. "My children say you've brought three women home on your own, my son says you're devil's spawn, and my daughter wouldn't be able to stop talking about you if her life depended on it...and I still like your ass."

"Sorry, my charisma is addicting," he flashed the man a wicked grin, then pulled the door open to the hallway. "Not that I don't want to walk all the way down to floor-level," he noted dryly, "but it'd be faster."

"Yeah, sure," Tao followed him toward the elevator.

"I didn't think she'd kiss me," Trowa noted quietly as they moved into the empty machine. "I expected the hug, but I didn't think she'd kiss me." He sighed. "I was going to give her the laptop alone, but she called me crying after work and I didn't have the time to run the boots by Matty."

"Her name on the back?"

"What about it?"

"I've seen that before," Taofa returned. "That writing, and..."

"I scrawled her name on a file-folder and she absolutely died. I don't know why, but she likes my handwriting. She had me write it on one of her notebooks."

The man gave him a level look.

"In my defense, I was pretty buzzed when I was ordering the machine. I don't regret it at all, but I went a little over the top on what I added...I got distracted from customizing the keyboard anymore than the shiny letters."

"The colors?" the man asked.

Trowa sighed and shrugged, leaning against the wall. "She's shown me her favorite colors a thousand times."

"You're just as bad as her mother," Taofa muttered, leaning against the back and running a hand down his face. "She'd have done the same thing...and...and..." he covered his eyes with his hand.

Trowa pursed his lips and studied his boots. He wanted the uncomfortable moment to pass, and he wasn't sure if it would.

"If something happens to me," Taofa whispered, "you'll take care of her?"

Trowa sighed heavily. "Nothing is going to happen to you...and you don't need to ask. You're a good father, Taofa."

"You never talk about your family," the man noted quietly.

"My family is up in that apartment," Trowa returned just as quietly. "I talk about them all the time."

"Do you have any siblings? Who are your parents?"

"Parents?" Trowa echoed, a dim memory flashing through his mind—it was more the impression of cold, though. "No...no parents. There's a woman on L-4 that may as well be my sister...and Tim. Everyone else is in that apartment."

"Is it...hard?" the man asked quietly.

"Not as hard as losing your wife with two children," Trowa returned. "I have lovely holes in what memories I have. The hard part is the sympathy," he studied the man's face. "It makes me sad sometimes, but it's just a fact. I don't...focus on it, I don't worry about it...I don't cry myself to sleep night after night. I don't remember my childhood, really. I lived with mercenaries, I fought in MS..." he looked across the elevator as it slowed.

He was going to fight in his gundam again...that left a hole in something, but he wasn't sure what or why.

"You really didn't mean anything?" Taofa asked quietly. "You're not trying to sweep my girl off her feet?"

"I'm trying to make her happy," Trowa returned truthfully, moving into the lobby. "Nothing more and nothing less."

Taofa sighed, and followed after.


	9. Eight

**A/N:** 2 chapter update. reviews wouldn't be taken amiss lol

**- -**

**Eight**

_Stay the night with me_, Trowa texted to Blake, leaning against the wall by the door. Lifon had left with Taofa, and everyone had wandered back to what they were doing.

_Seriously?_ Blake texted back.

_Seriously_, Trowa agreed, running a hand through his hair.

_Trowa, I have a boyfriend_, Blake returned after a long moment.

_Just say you're staying over with Matty_, Trowa suggested, moving away from the door.

"What're you doing?" Matty asked happily, bouncing to the end of the hall.

"Huh?" Trowa looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you standing here?" Matty gestured at the door. "Forlorn my little sister left?"

"Oh god yes," Trowa returned dryly, moving forward...and to Matty. Matty backed away, blinking up at him...until his back was against the wall. There was a moment of confusion in his eyes before something occurred to him...and he struck.

Trowa burst into naughty laughter, dodging that easily and staying back.

"What?" Matty asked, blinking at him. He'd moved forward, obviously intending to follow-through with the...fight.

"I didn't mean to start that," Trowa noted happily, staying back with a grin. "I was just fucking with you."

Matty's eyes narrowed.

Trowa laughed happily and bounced down the stairs to clean up the sunken area. He had to admit that reaction was fun. It was almost too bad Matty hadn't pursued him.

- -

"Your friend is beyond special," Matty informed Heero, sliding into his lap as he sat on the bed. "You know that, don't you?"

"Yes," Heero agreed. "They all are, so I won't bother asking you which one you mean."

Matty grinned, kissing his jaw before settling the laptop onto his lap. Heero'd been holding it up and to the side since he'd realized Matty was going to sit on him. The younger considered the screens that were open, then looked over his shoulder. "What's this?"

"This is the integrity of your sister's laptop," Heero explained, then started closing things. "I can work on it later."

"Why? If you're doing it..."

"We need to sign you up for your classes," Heero returned dryly. "Because evidently _you_ won't do it."

Matty grinned wickedly at him, then shifted slightly to pull his phone out as it vibrated.

_I'll be there around seven_, Blake noted. _Tell Trowa I'm coming to hang out with you, huh?_

Matty blinked at the message a moment, then shrugged and texted back his confirmation.

"So..." Heero logged into Matty's account at the school. "How late do you intend to sleep in?"

"I guess that depends on what classes are earlier in the day," Matty returned. "And what I want to be when I grow up."

"You have _years_ before you'll figure that out," Heero informed him happily.

"Don't make me hurt you," Matty suggested dryly.

"But it would be _fun_," Heero protested.

Matty snickered and poked at him.

"Okay, okay," Heero pouted at him a moment. "What _are_ your thoughts there?"

- -

When Trowa's phone popped him up the warning that Blake had gone through the sensors, he bounced to his feet instantly, turning toward the door. Since the guy hadn't ever responded to him, he'd been thinking he wouldn't come, but he was there, wasn't he?

He pulled the door open before the knock could sound, and pulled the guy in by the collar of his shirt. Blake hadn't been coming around the apartment much since he'd gotten his boyfriend, and entirely aside from the lovely nights they'd spent amusing each other, Trowa'd found that he missed the guy. He had a hesitant sense of humor that tended to amuse Trowa all the more for the coyness of it—and even more so since he hadn't been _trying_ to be coy.

Blake made a slight noise as he was pressed against the wall, and Trowa took that for encouragement, moving away from the door toward his room. He pressed him against the door so that closed, breaking the kiss to breathe a moment, then focused on the other's throat. It was too bad he hadn't had the forewarning that he was coming, it was about time to turn on his music.

Trowa changed his focus to the other's shirt, starting to pull it up...but Blake stopped that. He snickered slightly, starting again...then decided on expedience and went for the jeans.

"Trowa!" Blake hissed, catching at his wrists. "Trowa!"

"What?" Trowa returned, kissing more at him. "What's wrong?"

"I can't do this," Blake whispered back, still holding his wrists.

"What?" Trowa blinked, pulling back to meet eyes. "Why not? You're here, aren't you?"

"Didn't Matty..."

"Matty's been in his room since I texted you," Trowa retorted, starting to kiss again. The enthusiasm had definitely left the other, though, and he pulled back again to study his eyes.

"No," Blake said in a voice that might have been firm if it weren't quavering as he studied Trowa's eyes.

Trowa stopped entirely, blinking a few times as the other waited. He stepped back after a moment, still studying Blake's face.

Blake looked away, pulling the door open without turning away, then ducked out of the room into the hall.

Trowa's focus landed on Matty, who was standing just beyond the door with both hands pressed to his mouth and very wide eyes as he considered his friend. After a moment, his eyes raised to Trowa's.

Trowa stepped back, and slammed the door.

Why in the _hell_ had Blake let him _take_ him into the room if he was going to say no? The combination of Blake's demeanor, question, and Matty's reaction suggested to Trowa that Matty had been meant to tell Trowa before Blake arrived to avoid that uncomfortable moment where the guy actually had to _say_ no.

Trowa turned and flung the stuff off the top of his bookshelf as he stormed toward his bed, dropping onto it irritably.

He had to get out of the apartment—he felt _horrible_ for Blake, and _beyond_ annoyed. He didn't think he was actually pissed, but he didn't imagine he was that far from it.

Sometimes he felt like Heero...not sure how to work out how he felt at all...

The door opened.

Trowa looked up, considering Heero as Heero considered him in return. The other moved across the room with his thumbs in his pockets, then stopped at the edge of the bed with slightly raised eyebrows.

"You aren't _really_ expecting me to speak first, are you?" Trowa demanded.

"I'm trying to figure out how to say _anything_," Heero retorted, "let alone figure out how pissed you are."

"What do you want, Heero?"

"Matty's horrified," Heero explained, sitting at the edge of the bed. "Blake texted him forever ago to tell you that he was coming over to hang out with Matty. We both thought it was weird until he showed Matty the text you sent him."

Trowa frowned at him.

"He _has_ a boyfriend," Heero reminded his friend quietly.

"Yes, and I said..."

"Yes," Heero cut that off, "but the fact of the matter is that he _likes_ the guy. And sex with you aside, he doesn't _want_ to cheat on him."

Trowa frowned.

"You're not mad at him, are you? He's worried you are."

"I'm annoyed," Trowa retorted. "But it's not his fault there was a lack of communication."

"Matty didn't realize..."

"It's not _his_ fault either," Trowa snapped, then rubbed at his eyes and sat up. "I'm going out."

"Matty is sorry," Heero said quietly. "He wants you to know that he's sorry."

"He can be as sorry as he wants to me," Trowa snapped, pulling the shirt off and digging out another. "It was an unfortunate incident that we'd all rather forget than belabor."

"Are you telling me to shove it?" Heero demanded dryly, rising to his feet.

"Oh, don't even start that shit with me," Trowa retorted, pulling the shirt down. "I'm...pissed." He froze as Heero moved up to his back. "What are you doing?"

"I'm curious," Heero returned, resting his hands on Trowa's hips and leaning forward so his mouth was at Trowa's ear. "What will you do?"

The first thing Trowa realized is that he didn't feel particularly like hurting Heero. Always before, that sort of an approach was meant to be the instigator of a brawl, but Trowa couldn't seem to find the will to turn on the other. He considered the jeans he was holding as he waited, not sure what he'd do in response to anything Heero would—it was a slightly disturbing realization, actually. He was comfortable enough with Heero's personal space anyway, but this went _beyond_ that.

Heero leaned in more, and even though his mouth was right at Trowa's ear, he didn't move.

Trowa took a long slow breath, then moved himself, pulling away and turning to meet Heero's eyes.

"I was expecting you to deck me," Heero noted in amusement.

"Yeah, well," Trowa gave him a look and started changing from the jeans. "I just texted some twenty year old guy to stay the night with me, why would I freak out with you touching me?"

"Because I have no idea what you're willing to accept now. You know as well as I do that six months ago I'd have been on my back the second my hands touched your hips."

Trowa shrugged at him, pulling the other jeans on and buttoning them. "I don't know if I'll be home tonight," he noted, dropping onto the bed to pull his shoes back on. "Let Wufei and Jin know for me."

"You would totally come to bed with me'n Matty, wouldn't you?" Heero asked in amusement. "What the _hell_ happened in your head?"

"It started with his mouth," Trowa noted, moving to stop in front of the other, leaning in. If Heero responded it'd be a kiss, but Trowa didn't expect him to as they met eyes. "And it went on to other...more amusing...things," he trailed his right hand down Heero's abs, but stopped at his waistline. "I'll be back," he noted, and left the room.

There was something amusing in the fact that Heero didn't move from where he'd been standing.

Trowa glanced to his right, meeting eyes briefly with Blake, who was standing in the hall. There was nothing left to say there, though, and Trowa turned, leaving the apartment.

Some days, he really wished he'd have just moved off on his own, or stayed with Cathy...staying with his friends was trying on too many levels. The fine line between their camaraderie and the place where his emotions stopped was _far_ too fine for his preference.

It'd probably be easier alone.

He shook his head and hit the button for the elevator.

He really needed to find something to do with his free time.

_I'm hitting the club, asshole_, he texted Tim. _You're coming with me, even if it is abduction_.

_Trowa, I have stuff to do_, Timothy protested. _I can't just...go with you at your whim_.

_You're a fucking bastard_, Trowa informed him. _You wanted me to spend more time with you, got me used to doing shit all over **town** with you, then dropped me. For what? Were you scared of the big fucking gun I was holding? Or is it the fact that pacifism is bullshit and it was crammed down your throat? If you don't want to fucking be my friend anymore, just **tell** me and I'll never bother your ass again_.

_I didn't say that_, the guy protested instantly. _That's cold_.

_You have no idea what the hell has even been going on in my life for the last **month.** I'd be surprised if I saw you twice that whole time_.

_You scare me, okay?_ Tim retorted. _You took it in stride that there were giant mobile suits attacking the town, attacking your apartment, and nearly killing me. You don't even **care** that one of your friends was kidnapped. I can't be that disconnected. I'm scared that it'll happen again when I'm with you_.

_And what about the fact that everything I did when you were there was specifically to **protect** you? What about the fact that you're in my fucking **will?**_

_You **have** a will_, was the short reply. _You're twenty-two and you **have** a fully legal and up to date will_.

_Is that it, then?_ Trowa snapped as he moved out the elevator, ignoring Sean as the guy tried to greet him. _Do you want me to leave you alone?_

The fact that he got no response to that made him turn and throw his phone as hard as he could at the building. It shattered on impact, and he stood there a long time, considering the pieces.

Fuck it. It didn't matter anyway.

- -

"Is Trowa _there?_"

Heero blinked at Tim, who looked a little frazzled. "He went out," he explained. "I haven't seen him since seven."

Tim covered his face with his hands.

"Why? What's wrong? Can I help?" Heero was kind of amused at the fact that the guy was probably two times larger than life on the screen and there was a football game going on behind his window.

But then again, what had he expected when he got an urgent call from Tim?

"We were talking earlier," Tim explained, looking up to him. "He asked if I wanted him to leave me alone and before I could respond, my phone lost the network. When it came back, I couldn't get ahold of him or anything."

Heero frowned at that, pulling his own phone out and hitting the four. He listened as it started to ring, then blinked.

"_The number you have dialed is not available at this time. If you'd like to leave a voice-message, press two. If you'd like to send a page, press three_."

Heero hit the three, listening as that rang through.

"_I'm sorry_," the same pleasant recorded female voice said. "_The number you are trying to contact seems to be out of service. There are many reasons an instance like this could occur. If this is your number, and you'd like technical support, press two. If it's not, please hang up now_."

Heero ended the call, looking back up to Tim.

"I pissed him off that bad, huh?" Tim asked, running his hands through his hair. "I'm just so frustrated right now...he was asking if I wanted him to leave me alone, and it's not like that...you guys are just so blasé about getting attacked...and I'd never even _seen_ a gun up close before he was standing a foot from me with it..."

"We all have concealed weapons," Heero noted sardonically. "I'm sure you've been closer to one than you think."

Tim gave him a look, rubbing at his eyes again. "What do I do?"

"You ask Duo, because this isn't my department," Heero smiled at him, then turned his head toward the hall. "_Duo!_"

"Ow," Tim noted dryly. "You realize I'm on a vid and you're perfectly audible, right?"

"You realize I'm sitting in front of my TV with a game on in the background, right?" Heero returned easily.

Tim sighed.

"What's up?" Duo asked, moving into the living room. "Oh, hey, Tim. How are you?"

"There was an instance," Heero explained happily. "He and Trowa were having a poignant text conversation, and Trowa asked if he wanted us to leave him alone, and he lost his network."

Duo stared at the screen as Tim avoided eyes, then looked down to Heero again. "That'd explain it."

"What?" Heero asked with interest. "You try to call Trowa, too?"

"No, Sean called and said he watched Trowa destroy his phone, then take off...he threw it against the building as hard as he could and it shattered on impact," Duo sat, studying Tim. "Then he sped off like a bat out of hell. And you weren't trying to brush him off?" he added to Tim. "Whatever you decide, we'll all help him deal with it. It's not like we'd let him stalk you or something like that, you realize that don't you?"

"I didn't _say_ I didn't want to be friends," Tim snapped at him harshly, upset. "I lost my damn network."

"So why isn't he on ours?" Duo asked curiously, looking to Heero.

"Because we pay out the ass to make sure we never lose our network," Heero reminded him. "We're on the rich-people plan, remember? If we wanted them to, they'd send someone to suck our dicks."

Duo started laughing, looking around to Tim. He studied him a moment, then shook his head. "Don't worry about it, huh?"

"He's gonna get laid tonight," Heero agreed. "He asked me to warn Wufei and Jin about it."

"What's up his ass, anyway?" Duo asked dryly. "Sean said he completely ignored him."

"There was an incident with Blake," Heero muttered in amusement. "Matty didn't deliver a message that really needed delivered, and Trowa had to get out of here."

Duo blinked at him.

"He wanted me to go out with him tonight," Tim noted quietly, rubbing at his face again. "Why didn't I just do it? He's right...he always did make sure I was safe first thing..."

Heero and Duo focused back on the screen.

"I told him it's scary," Tim added with a sigh, shifting back. "Where did he go?"

"Dressed like he was," Heero noted in amusement, "I'd say just about any nightclub in town where women get in free."

"He's not that picky anymore," Duo muttered.

Heero snickered evilly, looking back to Tim. "I suggest you just come over first thing tomorrow. Don't clear your histories so you can prove to him that you just went out of range. I don't think he'll answer this phone at all. Just come over tomorrow and we can all work on your issues and pretend he doesn't have any."

"You are the most reassuring bastard on the planet," Tim informed him, giving him a level look.

"There are a few better in the colonies," Duo agreed happily, "But Heero's good enough for earth."

Tim grinned slightly at that and ended the call.

"Ooh, who's winning?" Duo muttered as the game took the screen over again. "How come you didn't tell me it was even on?"

"Maybe if you unglued yourself from Quatre some time, we might be able to have a real conversation," Heero returned happily, rising to his feet. "You want something?"

"You can't tell me that you and Matty don't do the exact same thing," Duo protested.

"Oh, I'm pretty much always with him," Heero agreed as he pulled a cup from the shelf. "But see, we do this thing called socializing. It's when you stop having sex and join everyone else in the main room to talk about their day...it's really interesting, because sometimes, these things called _friends_ have this thing called a _life_."

"Just because Trowa took us both down," Duo informed him pointedly, "doesn't mean I can't take you down."

Heero started laughing happily, and pulled a pitcher from the fridge.

- -

Jinli blinked at the ceiling a long moment, his mind wandering almost lazily over the night before. When he'd gotten in from work, Heero had informed him that Trowa was bringing him someone home whenever he got back from being out, and in remarkably short-order, Trowa had appeared with a handful of women. They'd taken over the living room before one of them had decided that she wanted one-on-one attention and realized Jinli and Wufei were at hand. Wufei'd already caught one's attention, and the rest had gone off to bed with Trowa.

"You're cheating on your husband?" the woman asked in disbelief.

Jin blinked, focusing on her. She had already dressed, which must have been what had woken him...and she was holding...his base-pass.

"What?" he asked blankly. "No...I'm not..."

"It says espoused," she snapped, her ire rising as she showed him the spot on the badge. "This says you're espoused of...Chang Wufei?" Her expression clouded before utter disbelief broke across her face and she stared at Jinli.

Oh, right, they weren't using their actual names...everyone thought he was Ian something or other...Cambell. Everyone thought he was Ian Cambell.

"That's not...we're not..." Jin started pushing himself up.

She crossed to him in two strides and slapped him. The pain was sharp and stinging, and the sound of it echoed across the room as she shook her head at him. "How could you cheat on _him?_" she hissed, throwing the badge at his face. "Bastard."

Before Jin could say more, she'd stormed from the room, slamming the door behind herself.

Jinli followed, blinking a few times as Wufei poked his head from his room.

"What are you doing?" Wufei asked blankly. "Didn't you go to bed?"

"I'm _so_ sorry!" the female cried, throwing her arms around Wufei's neck before breaking into tears, then turned and _ran_ from the apartment.

Wufei blinked at Jin.

"She thinks I'm cheating on you," Jinli explained, raising the badge to show him.

"Shit, she knows?" Wufei's entire demeanor turned annoyed.

"I have no idea, I just..."

"What's going on?" the female who'd been with Wufei asked, moving to the door as well in bra and jeans. "Did Samantha just leave?"

Jin nodded blankly, noticing that the only thing she was missing was the shirt in her hands. She considered him and Wufei a moment, then leaned forward to study the badge in Jinli's hand before her eyes widened. She pulled back to stare up at him, then looked around to Wufei. An expression of outrage settled on her face...and she slapped Wufei.

"Sick pig," she spat at him, then stormed from the room to glower at Jin...and slap _him_.

Jinli blinked at her blankly.

"Don't _fucking_ slap me," Wufei spat, bristling.

"Sorry, Sir," she spat back, saluting him, then turned and stormed down the hall.

"Sir?" Jinli asked as the front door slammed. "Did she just call you sir?"

"What the hell?" Wufei agreed, moving from the room and rubbing at his face. "I nearly slapped her back."

"You're the soul of civil society," Jinli noted dryly, sighing. "My face hurts now...they both slapped me."

Wufei snickered. "You're cheating on me, huh?"

"Evidently."

"Technically," Matty agreed with a yawn, moving from his and Heero's room. "Legally."

"We just marked on the base pass..." Wufei started calmly.

"They had you fill out the legal forms, didn't they?" Matty demanded, looking between them. "They had to of or they wouldn't have given him the badge," he indicated Jinli, then started down the hall. "You two are legally espoused...seriously. So are me'n Heero." He closed the bathroom door.

Jinli stared at the door in dawning horror.

"He's not...serious...is he?" Wufei demanded of Heero, who was laying on the bed. "That wasn't _really_...legal..."

"Completely legal," Heero agreed, rubbing at his eyes. "What the hell are you psychos doing? The two of you and Trowa and his crew kept the whole damn house up last night. It's too early to be up."

"Sorry," Jinli muttered quietly, still dazed.

They were _legally_ espoused? Seriously?

The phones beeped in an oddly prompt way, and Heero rolled over to look at the face of his and blink.

"What?" Wufei muttered, glancing back to his room. "Who is it?"

"Tim," Heero returned, pushing himself up. "You might want to stop him before he goes into Trowa's room."

Wufei blinked at him as the front door opened and closed. Tim appeared a moment later, smiling tightly at both Jin and Wufei...and disappeared into Trowa's room.

Jinli blinked.

"You suck," Heero noted...as there was a general outcry from Trowa's room.

Tim started talking quickly over the noise, then stumbled out of the room and closed the door.

"You okay?" Wufei asked blankly.

"There are _three_ girls in there," Tim returned in utter disbelief, looking up to them. "And they were..." he gestured at the room.

Trowa started laughing, then groaned.

Tim's face flushed and he moved away from the door.

"What the _hell_ is going on?" Duo demanded, appearing blurrily in the door to his and Quatre's room. "It was hard enough to get to sleep last night without being woken up at the fucking ass-crack of dawn."

"Jin?" Quatre called almost languidly from the room. "You need to do to me what you did to her..."

"And you complain at _me_ for saying shit?" Duo asked in disbelief, turning to look into the room as Jinli started laughing weakly. "At least I don't make actual _come_-ons..."

Quatre started laughing.

- -

"So it's legal," Wufei muttered, sitting back in his chair and rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "And we have to divorce to end it?"

"Yes, that is what I'm saying," the woman agreed pleasantly. "Are the two of you thinking about separating?"

"Oh sure," Wufei sighed. "Thank you for your help, I appreciate it."

"No problem, Mr. Chang. I wish you the best of luck...was there anything else I could offer?"

"No, thanks," Wufei shook his head and closed the phone.

"You gotta be shittin' me," Jinli muttered, rubbing at his face. "So we're supposed to totally go file this stuff legally, aren't we?"

Wufei nodded tiredly.

"Which means we're supposed to co-submit our taxes."

Wufei nodded again.

"And you make like, five-hundred times more money than I do..." there was ire in that.

"Obviously I'll be paying the taxes," Wufei snapped back. "For both of us."

Jinli raised an eyebrow at him.

"I need you to get on base," Wufei noted precisely. "When Wing Gundam shows up on the field again, I'm going after it, and whether or not you're with me, I need you to have the status that fucking badge gives you...I won't sign a divorce."

Jinli started laughing weakly.

"You want a kid?" Wufei added dryly. "We can adopt and get another tax write-off."

"You want to adopt for tax reasons?" Jinli gave him a severely level look.

Quatre, who'd been at the sink, spat his mouthful of water out to turn and look at them in disbelief.

Wufei laughed happily, shifting back where he sat and pressing his thumb against his lips as he thought. "I don't have to do anything under Ian," he noted quietly. "Only under Chang. If you'd take a new name, you'd have the same shit...but since you didn't...you marked it at your work didn't you?"

Jinli nodded.

"I bet that is why they hired you," Wufei grumbled, shifting lower in his seat.

"They haven't mentioned you since the start," Jinli retorted. "Don't be an ass."

Wufei grinned at him, then looked around to Quatre. "What?"

"What the hell are you two doing?" he demanded—they were sitting at the table in the sunken living room. He stopped at the edge of the stairs. "You're not seriously talking about adopting are you?"

"You expect me to take care of a little kid?" Wufei demanded skeptically. "I can't even take care of a husband," he gestured at Jinli. "And you think I should get a baby?"

"I didn't say that," Quatre retorted, moving down with them.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Jinli demanded. "The only think you've been _doing_ is taking care of me."

"All night long," Wufei agreed dryly.

Jinli gave him the same sort of level look he was receiving.

"We're legally espoused," Wufei added, focusing back on the...well, the black of Quatre's hair had grown out quite a bit. He had some substantial roots going on, too.

"Seriously?" Quatre looked between them in disbelief...as Trowa started yelling from his room.

Wufei rose to his feet as Tim stormed from the thing and closed the door.

He looked around a moment before storming into the sunken area himself. "Can you believe the bastard?"

"Usually," Wufei agreed. "What's he freaking out about?"

"He's insisting that I have to hate him or I wouldn't have not texted him—I showed him the history showing I went out of range, and he basically started shouting at me."

"Trowa had a bad night last night," Quatre noted quietly.

"According to Heero and Duo he had a really _good_ night," Jinli muttered dryly, leaning over and folding his arms under his head.

"There's a reason he brought five girls home for himself," Quatre reminded him. "He didn't know if the two of you would be around to take the two of them or not, which means he was perfectly willing to juggle all five."

"He's such a pig," Jinli moved so his face was in his arms. "Why am I fucking espoused of Wufei?"

"You _are_ the one who signed the paperwork," Quatre reminded him, then looked around to Tim. "Why don't you find something to watch on tv," he suggested. "Give Trowa some time to wake up all the way and shower. He should be sociable by then."

"Quatre, quit putting your nose where it doesn't belong," Trowa snapped, storming from his room down the hall.

Quatre's expression became stricken as he looked after the other, then looked around to Wufei.

"He didn't mean it," Wufei said quickly. "Not literally."

"I'm not Heero," Quatre retorted, stepping away backwards and crossing his arms. "He _did_ mean it."

"Quatre..." Wufei started, rising to his feet...and Quatre darted down the hall.

Wufei slammed his hand onto the tabletop, dropping back down and looking around to the others. "Just great...now I have a petulant husband and a heartbroken lover."

Jinli started laughing weakly, pressing his face more into his arms.

"What?" Tim asked blankly.

"Oh yeah," Wufei tossed his badge to the guy. "We didn't realize it when we did it, but that's a fully legal espousal."

Tim grinned at him.

"Come on," Wufei added, rising to his feet. "I'm cheating on you," he informed Jinli happily, then bounced across the kitchen to turn on the television. "Trowa should be civil again by the time he's showered...well, as civil as Trowa _gets_."


	10. Nine

**A/N:** 2 chapter update...what is this? 10. It's chapter nine plus prologue, so that makes this 9/10 and its the second update of 8/9 lol.

**- -**

**Nine**

"I feel like a beached whale," Fasiha informed Quatre forlornly. "Seven months along and I just want to cry..."

"Hormones are a bitch," Quatre agreed wryly, moving the monitor around so he could lay on his other side. "You think you'll make it?"

"No," she returned petulantly. "Don't move that camera like that, I get sick easy enough without that."

"Poor baby," Quatre noted happily. When she opened her mouth to protest, he grinned more. "His mother will be a complete emotional wreck."

"I don't know if it's a boy yet," she grumped at him. "It might be another girl."

"More's the pity," he retorted.

Her eyes welled with tears.

"I'm kidding!" Quatre said quickly. "I'm just kidding! I don't think there's any pity involved." He'd gotten a few calls from his sister, and she wasn't lying when she said she would just start to cry.

"What if I'm a bad mother?" she asked, her eyes welling up with tears again. "If I'm a bad mother, will you take him?"

Quatre sighed, almost annoyed that Duo would wander off when she called. "You won't be a bad mother," he informed her. "I can tell that."

"Really?"

...that comment had been meant to keep her from crying, not make her start.

Quatre grinned slightly at her and rolled onto his back—if she'd stop calling him from the vid, he'd be able to be fully comfortable while they chatted.

"I hope I am," she cooed. "I really hope I am..."

- -

"So we had everything worked out and set up for the new house," Duo noted dryly, "and then the other fuckin' apprentice decided to fill out the paperwork all on his own, and instead of putting that we weren't sure how long it'd take, he projected a six month building period. That means we only have six months to build this monstrous thing from top to bottom, and he was all _proud_ of himself...I thought Reg was going to strangle him." He ran a hand through his hair. "I was going to...I know better than that shit."

"But if he's new..." Lifon offered uncertainly. "I mean...but if he was new he wouldn't have been able to do the paperwork." She made a face.

"I thought Vic was going to fire him," Duo added, shifting back on the couch. "He was about to stroke out, I had to step in and dance a quick two-step, noting more training time with him specifically if he only takes the one house until we're done or nearly done. So now I have to work under his ass again, and with that dumbass. Yay for keeping the peace, huh?" Duo sighed, popping another chip into his mouth. "Why did I do that? Can you help me figure it out?"

"You're that special?" Lifon asked happily, smiling at him. "You _are_ special, you know."

Duo snorted at her.

"I have to go, though," she added, glancing at her watch. "I want to go get ready. Trowa said he'd come pick me up before the movie started, too. So I'm gonna go poke at my brother."

"You're a horrible person to vent at," Duo informed her.

"And you're whiney," she agreed...and disappeared.

Duo grinned, flicking on the television.

- -

Trowa sighed as he moved back into his room, tossing his notebook onto the desktop. It'd been suggested several times, but it had actually happened. The main office had sent a man to investigate the hiccup in flow that had happened several times in a row. He'd gone all over the office gathering information until the point that he'd come into Trowa's office with a fucking pink-slip.

Trowa'd never been so close to being fired in his life, and the only reason he'd avoided it was because he'd realized shit was coming down and gotten Une to send him documentations of the orders he'd received. He'd had to tell the man who he was and explain that his absences hadn't been simple play. He'd gone from rescuing Matty to "rescuing" Zechs...then around to organizing shit for Une, and back to rescuing Matty. His disappearances when the mobile suits had been attacking had to be linked to the newspaper articles on the matter, and the man had been highly disconcerted.

In the end, Trowa'd noted that there should be three other people with his skills in their branch, and that the only reason they hadn't been hired or raised up was because the company didn't want to pay the appropriate wages. It'd come down to Trowa announcing for the whole workplace to hear that he was reporting the lack to the better business bureau, fired or not, before the man had relented.

His boss had bitched him out for it, because the man had decided _he_ didn't have the means to control Trowa, and then Tim had shown up in the office again with his obvious uncertainty, and everything had taken a dive.

At least Tim _had_ shown up. Ever since the phone incident, Tim had been trying to get back to what they'd had before, but Trowa was done.

Every time he started to care about someone he got hurt for it...so why care about anyone?

"Trowa?"

Trowa turned to look at Matty, who was moving down the hall toward him.

"Li is getting antsy," Matty explained. "She knows you just got home from work and all, but those reservations you made are attacking her."

Trowa smiled at that, starting to strip. "Tell her I'm getting ready and to calm down. We won't be late."

"I have, several times," Matty grinned. "What it's gonna come down to is you getting your happy ass into your car."

"Right," Trowa agreed, pulling out the jeans he'd decided to wear. He considered his shirts a long moment as Matty disappeared, and finally decided on the one he preferred.

It had been an odd month since Lifon's seventeenth birthday. It started with Wufei and Jinli being legally espoused, and ended with Duo and Quatre suddenly rejoining the group. Intelligence had stated that there'd been a few sightings of Wing Gundam in the Brazil area, but the machine had been limping through its maneuvers...which meant everything was going to start happening again, and the "real life" he'd gotten to play at was going to fall apart again.

He almost wished it'd hurry up and shatter—at least after the movie.

He turned and splashed on his cologne and considered himself in the mirror. He decided he looked fine and turned, grabbing his wallet and his keys.

"I think she's going to start crying..." Matty started, stopping in the hall outside the room and staring at him.

"Tell her I'm coming," Trowa retorted, then looked around to Heero, who was standing in the kitchen and staring at him. "What?"

Heero opened his mouth.

"Trowa?" Wufei asked blankly, "what are you doing?"

"I'm going, I'm going," Trowa retorted, then turned and swung from the apartment.

"I thought you were meeting Li," Heero protested quickly.

"Yeah," Trowa agreed. "Dinner and a movie—I'm late for my date, huh?"

Heero's mouth clicked shut.

Wufei started to say something, but Trowa didn't really want to hear it. He closed the door after himself, then headed for the elevator.

His friends were strange, and there was no denying that or altering it in the slightest. It didn't take him long to get across town to Li and Taofa's place, and he sat where he was a moment to let the stress dissipate. If Li thought he was stressed from work, she'd work herself into a tizzy trying to reassure him, and that would never do.

That moment of peace actually helped for once, and he moved across the yard to knock on the front door.

Taofa answered, looking him up and down with raised eyebrows, then stepped back. "That explains it."

"Explains what? Isn't she ready?" Trowa moved into the room, looking around.

"Well, she was," Taofa noted. "Can I see your firearm?"

Trowa pulled the weapon from his pocket, passing it over to the man.

"She wanted to change," Tao noted, considering the weapon as he moved back into the main room. He opened the chamber so it spat out the bullet, then let the magazine slide into his palm. "My baby girl," he said easily, "is eager to please."

Trowa frowned at that, watching him tuck the bullet back into the magazine...and reload it. The click of the weapon set his paranoia on edge, and he forced himself to sit instead of take the thing back.

"My baby girl means the world to me," Taofa noted, dropping into his own chair and considering the weapon. "My baby girl went running back to her room to get dressed a few minutes ago...and I thought she'd looked fine, but..."

Trowa blinked at that. He'd been noting how many times the guy called Li his baby girl, and the glance he got as the man trailed off made him realize he had his cologne on.

"I'm not so bad a shot, or I wasn't," Taofa noted, raising the weapon and sighting along the barrel at the television. "I suppose close-range won't make much a difference."

_Right_, Trowa thought wryly. _I'm taking my seventeen year old friend out to dinner and a movie, put on the 'get laid' shirt to go with the 'get laid' jeans, meet her father at the door and let the man have your weapon_.

Brilliance.

Taofa met his eyes.

Trowa leaned over and took the weapon from the man, dropping the magazine. He took a moment to disassemble it and show the man all the pieces, then focused on putting them back together. All in all it took him about thirty seconds, and he tucked the firearm away before meeting Taofa's eyes. "Your baby girl is safe with me."

"Is there any particular reason you're taking my daughter on an actual date?"

"Oh, not really," Trowa lounged back where he sat. "I had an utterly shit day, and the only thing that kept me from going ballistic was the fact that we were going out tonight. I have to admit I dressed without thinking about _who_ I was taking."

"You're also aware that I'm fully willing to call the police?"

"Are you _trying_ to offend me?" Trowa asked sweetly, his ire rising. He almost wanted to punch the man, but refrained, and forced himself to lounge as if that was the most comfortable seat in the world.

"I'm sorry, but you're dressed to the nines and my daughter had to go run to put on her _make_ up."

Trowa smirked at that. "You know, I really thought I was done with this shit."

"Shit?" the man asked dryly.

"The daddy of my date giving me the run-down of what I can or can't do, trying to put the fear of god into me...I really thought I'd left that all behind."

"So what are you doing dating a seventeen year old?" the man asked dryly.

"I haven't figured that part out yet," Trowa admitted easily. "I'll clue you in when I figure it out myself."

There was the sound of a step, and Trowa hopped to his feet, turning to meet eyes with Lifon.

She looked...very good. Her hair was pulled back and she had on a knee-length brown skirt with a black tank-top...it had ruffles and things on it...but her _eyes_.

Trowa smiled slightly at her, appreciating the artistry she'd employed with the make-up. She looked...like a woman.

She smiled shyly back at him, looking to the floor.

"I will _strangle_ you with my bare hands," Taofa noted to Trowa, "if you're back a _minute_ past ten."

Lifon started giggling, moving around to hug him—she was wearing the boots Trowa'd gotten her for her birthday.

"I'll call you at ten, or text you if the movie's not over yet," Trowa reassured the man. "Shall we, my dear?"

She smiled up at him before looking away bashfully again, then accepted his hand and followed him toward the back door.

"You look beautiful," he complimented her. "I think at some point you'll have to remind me you're only seventeen."

She started giggling at that, smacking him.

"I'm going to go buy myself a weapon," Taofa informed them almost petulantly as Lifon opened the door. "And I'll be sitting here cleaning it when you come in...at _ten_."

"Not a minute sooner," Trowa informed him, grinning over his shoulder, then nodded his head respectfully.

He didn't really want to offend Taofa, but the situation was too amusing for him.

"You look...you look good," Li muttered as he opened the door for her. "You look nice."

"I have to try," he noted happily, watching her legs as she sat. "You don't."

She smiled bashfully again, meeting his eyes.

What was he doing taking a seventeen year old on a date again? He moved around the back of the car as he considered that, then waved at Taofa who was standing in the door.

The reaction of his friends at least made sense now...too bad they would never let him live it down.

He started the engine, looking toward Li's legs again before forcing himself to meet her eyes and smile. "Ready?"

She smiled back at him.

He started the engine.

- -

"My name is Jeremy Keen," the professor noted happily as he looked everyone over with interest. "And as you should all be aware, this is a history class." He considered everyone a long moment, then started meeting eyes. "As none of you has gathered your stuff to run, I assume you're all supposed to be here. I'll call that role-call until the class-flux stops. What many of you don't realize," he smiled, "is that I'm also a first lieutenant of the Earthsphere Alliance."

Matty shifted further down in his seat, smirking slightly. He wasn't an actual part of the ESA, but he outranked the man...that amused him on several levels.

The early August heat had settled into baking, and Matty was wondering why anyone would refer to the time as fall term. Well, winter term was going to start in late November or something like that, so with that in mind it almost made sense...but almost only counted in horseshoes and grenades.

"I recruit," the teacher added happily, meeting eyes again. "And as a recruiter, I always start my classes off with a bang—I find that it rids me of the zealots and pacifists and makes the class easier to teach. So...for our first assignment, we'll be setting out a sheet of potential rank."

Matty raised his eyebrows.

"We'll scan your IDs, and my handy-dandy computer will tell us how many of you can earn more rank than me by switching over to the military now."

_Omg_, Matty typed to Heero. _He wants us to scan our IDs...that way we can see what rank we could reach_.

_What?_ Heero asked blankly. _Should you be texting in class? And you probably shouldn't do that...I don't know if I cleared the alarm on your name yet_.

_Can you do that for me?_ Matty protested. _It's an assignment_.

_Right...I'll get on that_.

Matty looked up, then realized the professor was giving him a narrow-eyed look. He grinned back, shifting back where he sat.

_Don't scan it until I tell you it's clear_, Heero suggested. _I can't believe I didn't do that_...

Matty grinned more, tucking his phone away.

"Mr...?" the man asked curiously.

"Williams," Matty returned. "Matt Williams."

"Would you like to start off the day?" he gestured at his laptop.

"No," Matty smiled slightly at him. "Not yet."

The man gave him a perplexed look and started to open his mouth. After a moment of consideration, he seemed to make up his mind and gave Matty a reprimanding look. "Please pay attention," he instructed him, then indicated a woman at the front of the room.

Matty rolled his eyes and shifted back where he sat again. The man had no idea how much grief that little exchange of text messages had saved him. If Heero got right on it, he wouldn't know...so hopefully...

One by one the students moved forward to scan their cards and take their printouts. One by one they returned to their seats.

_Well?_ Matty asked nervously, noting that the professor was starting to look more and more at him.

_Shit_, Heero returned. _Whoever it is went on fucking break. He said he'd do it right away, but nothing's happened_.

_I kind of need that cleared_, Matty protested. _I have to go do this_...

_Matty? I'm at the school_, Quatre's text came in on top of Heero's.

_I asked Quatre to go_.

_Thanks_, Matty texted to his boyfriend.

_Matty?_ Quatre persisted.

_Sorry_, Matty muttered, realizing at the teacher was waiting for him. _I'm going to try to put this off if I can...but I'm in the F building_.

_We're coming_, Quatre returned.

"Mr. Williams?" the man asked seriously. "Is there a problem?"

"Yes, actually," Matty rose to his feet.

"Good, you can leave the class—I was hoping to get more than one gone with this."

"That's not the sort of problem I mean," Matty returned easily, stopping near the desk. "I'm waiting for a confirmation."

"Are you a felon?"

Matty laughed at that. "No...no. My name might have some...issues, though."

"Is it assumed?"

"No," Matty returned. "I can't really...discuss the matter. I'm sure you understand."

The man gave him a skeptical look.

"Obligation two-zero-four?" Matty offered. "Information meant for..."

"Don't spit fake numbers at me," the man snapped. "Either scan your card or leave my class."

_Which room?_ Quatre asked easily.

_122_, Matty returned. _I'm doing it_.

_Fine_, Quatre reassured him.

"Who are you..."

Matty pulled out his military ID. The school had wanted a copy on file, and seeing it made the man's mouth snap shut. His hand started for the badge, and Matty cast him a sweet smile...and scanned it.

The computer started to think instantly...before a whole new window opened up and the note of a machine lock-down floated across the screen.

"What the..." the man started.

An alarm started shrilling around the ceiling.

"That's kinda neat," Matty noted as the students started to rise. "I didn't realize that..." the doors to the room locked.

The professor turned to look at Matty with huge eyes.

"I didn't get the confirmation I wanted," Matty noted dryly, considering the man. The machine asked for him to scan his print, so he ran his finger over the reader.

_Mattox Williams, espoused of Brigadier General Heero Yuy, is this information correct? Yes or no_.

Matty clicked the yes.

_An alarm has been set for this name, and cannot be cleared until the appropriate rank confirms this information. Confirm_.

Matty clicked that button as well.

_Send backup?_

Matty hit the negative.

The professor was mouthing at him.

"Instead of assuming I'm a pacifist," Matty noted as he went through the options provided him, "maybe you should hear me out. Under the O204, I cannot disclose the events to you, but my name has been flagged."

The man's mouth snapped shut.

"Please," Matty added to the students, who were watching the ticker under the alarms—it said to remain seated and wait for further instruction. "There are people on their way now to clear up this unfortunate incident...there's no reason for alarm."

The students considered him warily.

There was a sound outside the room, and after a moment, the lock on the one exit beeped and released.

Quatre moved into the room with an unmistakable swagger, with Patel and his lot right on his heels.

"Hello, Brigadier," Matty greeted him happily.

"Hello, Mr. Williams-Yuy," Quatre returned happily.

The professor rose to his feet, straightening in disbelief before saluting.

"Is there a problem?" Quatre asked happily as several of the students rose to their feet to stand at perfect attention, raising a hand in salute.

"Unfortunately, the flag on my name was not reset," Matty returned easily, smiling at his friend—he didn't think too much about it, but when they were in their full regalia, they looked awfully impressive...even if Quatre's roots were showing.

Wasn't that against some code of ethics or conduct or something?

Quatre turned to start talking to the professor as Patel gave Matty a skeptical look.

"I think someone's gonna get their ass kicked," Matty informed him happily. "Yuy was trying to clear the flag for the last half hour or more."

Patel cringed at that, looking around to the professor and Quatre.

"Brigadier?" Matty asked sweetly. "That alarm is starting to bug me. It wouldn't be overstepping myself to ask you to quiet it, would it?"

Quatre turned to consider him a long moment, then leaned over and scanned his own badge. He cleared the alarm, then flicked through a few options on the page that had come up. Matty watched him mark a mild demerit for unacceptable ignorance, then clicked to something else. It only took a moment for him to realize it was the professor's military profile...and then a new screen opened up that was labeled requests.

"Um, Brigadier?" the professor sounded hesitant. "I'm sorry, but it's not necessary for you to..."

"Matt?" Quatre asked, "this requires two confirmations," he indicated what he was considering. "Are we friends enough for you to trust my judgment or do you want to read it?"

"I trust your judgment," Matty reassured him, "but if I'm doing something legal, I'd like to know what."

Quatre turned the laptop to him and indicated the thing again.

"Sir, that requires two confirmations..." the professor started.

It was a newsletter...a confidential newsletter, sure, but Matty had read them on Heero's computer several times. They covered the current state of the ESA.

He looked to Quatre.

Quatre shrugged at him and hit the button to confirm the request. He scanned his card a moment later, then offered the machine to Matty again.

Matty hit the confirmation himself.

"The rank required to confirm this..." the professor started.

Matty scanned his ID.

The professor _stared_ at Matty.

The page thought a long moment before the thing cleared away and an email popped up in the man's inbox. Quatre closed out of the account, confirmed the clearance of the alarm, then made Matty scan his card for a second time.

The professor was staring at them both.

"You staying in this class?" Quatre asked happily, straightening up. "Or do you want to come home?"

"I'm staying," Matty reassured him. "Besides, if I left I'd only have a half hour to mess around anyway...which is what? The time it'd take to get back to the apartment? No. I'm alright."

"Alright," Quatre muttered, turning to look at the professor, then turned back to the room at large and smiled. "I apologize for the disturbance," he informed them all. "Occasionally there are blips in the system. It may have gotten unpleasant if I weren't on campus. Please forgive us, and excuse us." He bowed his head slightly, then gestured the 'at-ease' to the soldiers who hadn't sat down throughout his visit. They lowered their arms, watching as he started up the walkway to the door again, then saluted again as he left.

Matty smirked slightly, looking back around to the professor and hitting the print button on his read-out. It had opened after the alarm had been cleared.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Williams-Yuy," the man said quietly, looking down. "I did not mean to be rude."

"It's fine," Matty reassured him. "All I ask is that you hear me out in the future when I say there's a problem. I'm no pacifist, and as you might understand, I'm not against the ESA."

The man met his eyes.

Matty took the sheet, snickering slightly as it noted the ranks he could achieve if he changed to the military...General was rather prominent on the list.

The man saluted him, looking down as he returned to his seat. It wasn't until he was sitting down that he realized the soldiers were standing at attention for him.

"At ease," he said loudly enough to be heard. "I do not require you to interrupt the class."

"Sir!" they returned...and almost as one sat.

Matty snickered slightly, looking back around to the front of the room and the professor, who was running a hand through his hair.

It was his own fault—Matty had _tried_ to explain the situation to him...

He went back to considering the printout in amusement.

Something about earning a rank greater than Heero's amused him somehow...but not nearly as much as being addressed as 'Williams-Yuy.'


	11. Ten

**A/N:** 1 of 3 updates to end the story.

**- -**

**Ten**

Jaden ran a hand through his hair as Qingfu followed him through an air-conditioned building. They'd had big plans of hanging out with their friends at the main-base, and had quite an adventure of trying to keep out of Rab's sight when he'd shown up the day after them...but it hadn't lasted. Rab had a tendency to wander around when he was lonely...and Ranger had been caught.

The first few days of avoiding had been tense until they'd been caught coming back from a little supermarket. Rab had stood there and stared at them in disbelief before running to them and hugging them both tightly...before kicking Jaden's ass.

Jaden wasn't entirely thrilled that the only thing Qingfu got for the whole thing was a backhand...and he'd had to talk damn fast to keep Rab from going off on him again. The first week had been tense before Rab had calmed down and accepted that he'd been against bothering the Williams boy anymore, and it _had_ gotten Yuy and Barton both away from the other pilots.

He was tired of it, and so far as he could tell, Qingfu agreed with him.

His phone started ringing.

Jaden looked around, then raised the thing to his ear. "Hello?"

"Yo! Timorre!" the greeting was enthusiastic. "I just worked you a deal, baby!"

"You did?" Jaden demanded, stopping. He moved over to the window, looking out at the sweltering jungle in the distance. "How big a deal?"

"Major, precious," the guy purred happily. "You have no idea how major..."

"Who is that?" Qingfu asked skeptically.

"Armend," he returned dismissively. "What sort of...what sort of deal?"

"You miss me, don't you?" Armend purred.

"Come on, Hoxha," Jaden protested that. "You aren't seriously telling me..."

"I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think you'd be grateful," the man retorted. "If you're not interested we can hang up now and be done with it."

Jaden took a long slow breath. "I'll let you know _after_ you tell me what you got me."

The man laughed a jubilant sort of laugh. "She's called Illicit..."

Jaden's mouth started to open.

"She's a bit big for a couple men, but I'm sure there will be more'n me, you, and that new friend you made."

"Illicit can hold fifty-five hundred men," Jaden said in a strangled voice. "It was put on the auction block to help...to help the ESA pay off some of the debt from the eve wars...bought by...by...an independent company..."

Armend started laughing wickedly.

"I don't have that kind of _money_, Armend," Jaden hissed at him. "I can't afford..."

"I said I worked you a deal, didn't I?" the man still sounded wicked. "Don't worry about it. I kept it in your budget by providing a few...bits of information...the man wanted....and don't even ask," he added as Jaden started to open his mouth again. "Since I was doing it for you, I stayed within your range of ethics."

Jaden snapped his mouth shut.

"She's ready when you are," Armend added quietly, "and so am I. Just let me know when you're ready to leave and I'll bring her over...me and a few guys, of course. I suggest when you leave, you convince some airmen they want to go with you, because I only have loan of his crew for a week after we leave."

Jaden looked up to Qingfu, studying his face. "When will they be ready to leave?"

"They'll get here in an hour, so any day now would be wicked love."

"Right," Jaden agreed, then closed his phone.

"Illicit," Qingfu said quietly. "You now own the...cruise...ship Illicit."

Jaden ran a hand through his hair.

"Were you planning to tell me you were leaving?" Qingfu whispered harshly at him.

"Aren't you leaving with me?" Jaden retorted.

Qingfu started walking away, glaring at him briefly.

Jaden stretched his neck a moment, then turned and followed his friend.

They had to meet with Rabid, then they could figure out how to work it—Jaden had no doubts Qingfu would follow him, just like he hoped Qingfu had no doubts Jaden would follow _him_.

Unfortunately, they'd have to talk about it now...and he really didn't want to do that...but if things went how he hoped, then Qingfu was going to help him with everything else. That meant they were partners...and partners had to understand each other.

Jaden glanced out the window at the jungles again, then chased after Qingfu properly.

It wouldn't due to be left behind.

- -

Duo sighed as he tossed the last of the dirty laundry into the hamper, looking his and Quatre's room over. The place had become a pigsty, and it had taken him several trips to the kitchen to clear out all the garbage, dishes, and cans that had accumulated. He couldn't remember a time when the room hadn't been that messy, but it hadn't ever bothered him before.

But the bathroom was starting to get gross, too...and all the stuff he'd taken into the kitchen had thrashed that.

"What are you doing?" Quatre muttered, moving into the room and up to his chest. He leaned up and kissed him, then kissed him again. "Why are you cleaning?"

"Because it's gotten to a point that I can't stand it," Duo admitted, kissing at his ear. "It shouldn't take me long to do it...and don't offer," he said quickly. "You can run laundry if you would...but let me do the actual cleaning."

Quatre grinned at that, then looked around. "It is kind of a mess, isn't it?"

"You didn't see it before I emptied the garbages," Duo agreed.

"How did we do that?" Quatre asked blankly.

"I think the infatuation is over," Duo returned easily. "I can think when you're here now."

Quatre laughed at that and smacked his ass, then leaned over to grab up the laundry hamper.

"At least...I could for a minute..." Duo noted, considering his body.

Quatre laughed again, giving him a look. He turned, though, and left the room promptly.

"Okay, Duo?" Heero moved up to the door to study him. "I just opened the cupboard under the sink to throw some stuff away...and that's kinda nappy."

Duo laughed wickedly, moving past him. "I'll go...take that out. I just had to do something about it..." he smacked Heero's ass as he passed.

"What are you doing, anyway?" Heero asked. "I thought you were working on your OCD."

"Kiss my what?" Duo asked sweetly, turning into the kitchen as Heero started laughing.

"I should toss our garbage in there," Heero mused, moving into his room to gather up his trash. It only took a moment before they were collecting the garbage from each of the rooms.

"I'll be back," Duo noted, grabbing up the two bags they'd collected.

Heero nodded, moving into Jinli's room to gather up the dishes and cans. It had been a long time since they'd really thought about the sanitation, and it had been bothering him for some time. Whenever he cleaned the bathroom, the others complained to him about chemicals. They _were_ unhealthy for long periods of time, but he turned the fan on, and he only ever did it once in a while. It had been a long time consensus that he _not_ clean the bathroom. He needed to let Duo or the others do it.

The kitchen, though, was looking a little thrashed. None of them had really paid any mind to the fine details. When the dishes mounded someone ended up running a load so the pile went down...but when had the last time been that they hadn't had some in the sink?

He set the stuff he was holding down, then turned to make a run at Wufei's room.

"Oh, hey, Heero," Wufei muttered, looking up to him with interest. "What...are you doing?"

"Sorry," Heero apologized, gathering the stuff up he needed. "I'll get out in a second."

Wufei watched him skeptically a moment, then followed him from the room.

"So...I'll do the bathroom now," Duo noted as he moved back into the apartment. "Oh, you're doing the kitchen?" he nodded his approval to Heero, then made a face at Wufei as he passed.

"Oh," Wufei noted as Duo disappeared—he hadn't really thought about it when Duo'd collected his garbage. It made sense, though. The house had been a mess and Heero'd probably been itching with annoyance over it. Duo's starting gave him the clearance he needed.

"Oh?" Heero asked, disappearing into the living-room area.

"Your OCD was sparked by his," he gestured after Duo, moving down the hall. "I'll get the vacuum so you two don't kill yourselves with this crap."

"Fuck you?" Duo asked happily.

"You better not," Quatre muttered, moving into the area to give Wufei a look.

"It'd be fun," Duo retorted.

Wufei, who'd heard Quatre make the possessive comments before, almost expected the...half-blond to freak out at that, but he laughed instead and disappeared into their room.

It didn't take Heero long to have the dishes scrubbed down. The pile of recycling was spilling onto the floor, though. He gathered that up—Wufei was vacuuming the sunken area...it was sort of nice.

"Are we making up the big room again or not?" Wufei asked when he moved back into the apartment. "Like, doing the barracks thing?"

"It depends if Duo wants to set up the screen-divide again," Heero admitted. "It's sort of wasteful to have that huge space over there with nothing in it, though."

"We can extend the gym," Duo suggested, appearing from the bathroom door with rubber-gloves on. "Or set up an entertainment system. I know I wouldn't mind having more parties."

"That could work," Wufei agreed. "Maybe make a dining-room?"

Heero and Duo shrugged at each other.

"We could use this kitchen for snacks," Wufei added, indicating the thing. "And then make dinner over there...and have it set up for parties, maybe make more of it a gym. There's enough room, to be sure...but to be absolutely honest, I don't like sleeping alone."

"Get your espoused in bed with you," Duo muttered suggestively, flicking his eyebrows as he disappeared.

"If you recall, the only male I was ever interested in was you," Wufei noted dryly...and realized what he said as Heero's eyes _lit_ with amusement. "And it wasn't like I wanted _you_...just your mouth."

"He does have a damn good mouth," Heero agreed happily, moving back to the kitchen.

"You can have that fight with Quatre," Duo noted happily.

"What about me?" Quatre demanded, moving from their room with their bedding in his arms. "What are you idiots talking about?"

"How good a blow job would be about now," Wufei returned in amusement. There'd been a time not so long ago when the guy would have blushed scarlet.

"Can't argue that," Quatre muttered, starting away. "Hey, Duo? Meet me in ten?"

"I don't want a blow right now," Duo returned happily.

Wufei guffawed.

Quatre laughed delightedly, disappearing.

"You're lyyying," Heero called happily.

"Only a very little bit," Duo reassured him happily. "Could you toss the deodorizer to Wufei? Fei, can I get you to spray down my room?"

"Clothes and all?" Wufei asked, the notion of drenching something in the room appealing to him highly.

"You can soak anything that's not in the drawers," Duo returned airily. "But I won't admit to saying that and _you_ will have to deal with Quatre."

Wufei started laughing as Heero tossed him the canister.

It was probably about time to really spray down his room, too.

- -

The first thing Trowa noticed as he moved into the apartment was the smell of the damn cleansers. He covered his nose, wondering if his stomach would hurt from that little bit, then headed directly for the windows. Heero was scrubbing the counters down, and had rubber-gloves on his hands.

"Oh, hey, Trowa," Heero greeted him pleasantly. "You okay...don't open those it's..."

"Damn hot outside?" Trowa demanded, leaning close to the screen. "Yes, it is. If we don't air it out in here, we're all going to die of asphyxiation."

"But...it's not the bathroom," Heero gave him a perplexed look.

Trowa had to run that through the old translator before it _even_ made sense. He grinned slightly at Heero a moment. "Chemicals are chemicals. It is worse in a small area, but it's still bad here."

Heero huffed at him, then rocked where he was standing, blinking around a moment.

"Finish cleaning and wash off those chemicals," Trowa ordered irritably. "You're high..."

Heero laughed at that, then went back to scrubbing.

Trowa rolled his eyes, deciding to take refuge in his room for a moment...only to be hit with a floral scent as he entered. He stared into his room in consternation—he still didn't understand why the deodorizing sprays had to have a _scent_ to them. Weren't they supposed to _nullify_ scents? He grumped to himself about someone going into his room and messing with his stuff, but didn't really feel it. Nothing had been moved but the dirty dishes and cans. He hadn't had much of that in the room, but the few he'd had were gone. He snorted slightly, then turned and headed for the old apartment.

"Oh, hey, Trowa," Wufei greeted him from the top of the platform. "I didn't realize you were home."

"I just got in," Trowa returned, moving to the window directly across from the hall. He pulled that open.

"I almost want to tell you not to do that, but I haven't been in there since Heero and Duo pulled out the chemicals. I somehow think more than ninety-nine point nine percent of the germs in there died."

Trowa grinned up at him, then moved to drop below the stand.

"Oh, you don't want to talk?" Wufei sounded vaguely disappointed. "I'll just...go back to meditating, I guess."

"No, it's fine," Trowa sighed. "I thought you wouldn't want to talk since you're up there."

Wufei moved to the edge of the stand to hang his chest over it and grin down at Trowa. "I got up here to get away from _those_ psychos," he gestured back toward the other apartment. "Duo had an OCD attack not long after Quatre got off work. I think Heero's been pretending not to notice his, but when Duo goes for it, he has permission to follow suit. How was your day?"

"Not bad...they decided I get to do the interviews to hire the three other people who do what I do, Tim informed me that he'd disown me if I didn't hire him, and Li called me to let me know her and Eve picked up Ade and went to the lake..."

"Don't any of them have more than one syllable in their name?" Wufei asked happily.

Trowa grinned a bit at that. "She doesn't plan to get home before six or seven, and then her dad wants her to do something with him, which means that I had planned out some lessons and crap to go through with her today and now have nothing to do...step into the house to smell chemicals that I could have sworn we all forbid Heero to play with...and now I'm sitting here watching you act like a monkey."

"Fair day," Wufei grinned, then flipped and landed. He dropped immediately onto his rear, then turned to face Trowa with the bottoms of his feet pressed together and his hands on his knees. He bowed from that position. "I am an unworthy pupil, but if you have lessons, I will strive to meet your least-most approval."

Trowa gave him a very level look.

Wufei laughed, dropping over sideways to look at Trowa. "You know what I only just realized?"

"What?" Trowa asked, leaning over himself. They hadn't put anything but a carpet into the old bedroom-area—aside from the loft-thing for meditating.

"You _like_ Lifon...you like..._like_ her, like her."

Trowa rolled his head over to give his friend a very level look.

"And if you want me to," Wufei added happily, "I'll take the note for you...I'm your bro, huh?" he tapped his fist to his chest twice.

Trowa started laughing weakly.

"You can ask her to go out with you as long as the most popular boy in school doesn't like her...but she's pretty and sweet and...damn those legs."

Trowa focused on him again.

Wufei laughed delightedly, pushing himself back up again, then crawled across the floor to hover over Trowa, studying his face.

"You lied to me, didn't you?" Trowa demanded. "You were in there breathing those chemicals with Heero."

Wufei laughed at that, plopping back onto his rear. "I just feel...really good...for some reason." He shrugged. "Easiest day at work that I've had in ages, and Duo and Heero cleaned up my room _for_ me...and I did mediate for like, an hour already. I need to go do my forms or something, but then you showed up and...you like Li."

Trowa met his eyes, though he couldn't help but grin a bit. Wufei hadn't poked at him in ages, and hadn't really been _doing_ it since Jinli showed up. It was almost nice, or maybe would have been if Trowa didn't know it'd been a device before.

"So does she melt when you kiss her?" Wufei whispered.

Trowa snapped his arm out, knocking Wufei's. Wufei'd been leaning his weight against it, so he toppled over onto Trowa, then started laughing.

"I bet she does," Wufei added happily, rolling away with a wicked grin on his face. "I bet she swoons, just like Blake did..." he mocked a swoon, then started laughing as he rolled away again. Trowa was getting up. "But you put out a bit more effort with Blake, didn't you?" he asked, hopping to his feet with a wide grin on his face. "You actually _want_ him, don't you?"

Trowa lunged.

Wufei cackled his old raven laugh and darted into the new apartment.

Trowa stopped chasing, laughing to himself as he looked the area over. There was no doubting that Wufei wanted him to give chase, but he didn't feel like it yet. Wufei would be back in a moment to provoke him some more...so until then, he was going to wait.

- -

Matty started giggling helplessly as Wufei leaned over the back of the couch and whispered in his ear, eyes on Heero. There was something in his stance that made it obvious he was ready to dart away...he'd already gotten Trowa to chase him three or four times, and Jinli was sitting on the far side of Heero with an uncertain expression on his face.

He'd never seen this Wufei—he'd never seen the raven, and actually, he'd never heard tale of Wufei's nightly encounters. And Wufei had, he'd told them about the soldier girl in great detail. It'd made Matty blush and hide his face in Heero's side, but for once, Quatre just listened.

"A little tongue," Wufei added...and his tongue darted out. Matty squawked and jerked away, and Heero jumped at him. It was at about that point that Heero realized _he_ was the next intended target.

So...put Matty through a bit more amusing discomfort or give in to Wufei's fun?

Heero decided on the latter and jumped around his boyfriend. Wufei laughed his true laugh—which they'd heard a lot of with Trowa chasing him—and darted down the hall. It was hard not to laugh as they started around the old apartment. It wasn't quite as amusing as it could have been, though. If the divide had been up, Wufei would have had more places to run. His eyes were absolutely sparkling as he pulled himself away from the edge of the half-round window in the gym-area. He was out of options...and Heero decided to give Wufei a quick try.

He darted across the intervening space...and started nibbling at Wufei's ear. Wufei was still laughing hard as he tried to untangle himself and push Heero away, but Heero'd gotten a thorough grip on him.

"Stop!" Wufei protested, deciding to stop trying to _pull_ away, raising his knees between their bodies. "I will _kill_ you."

Heero laughed and bit at his throat, then turned and _launched_ himself at the edge of the gym. He nearly fell as he realized half his normal paths were gone, but Wufei hadn't hesitated in the slightest.

"Help!" he gasped, darting back into the living room and diving across Matty. "He's gonna kill me!"

Wufei came up short as Heero pulled Jinli around as a shield—his friend obviously didn't know if he should fight and run or stay put, but Wufei was rubbing at his throat.

"Heero," Matty muttered with interest, "exactly why does Wufei have your tramp-stamp?"

Heero started laughing hard, letting Jin scramble away to give his boyfriend an innocent look.

"He wanted me to chase _him_ instead," Wufei noted in amusement. "He hasn't done that since we were in the colonies...but I'm still gonna _kill_ him."

Matty snickered.

"What did he do?" Duo asked with interest. "Biting you was the least, I'm sure."

Wufei gave him a look and rubbed disgustedly at his ear.

Matty covered his face with his hands.

Their phones beeped.

"Fuck you _all_!"

Everyone turned to look at the door as Blake stormed into the room and stopped to look them all over...with tears in his eyes.

"Blake?" Matty asked in disbelief, pushing himself up. "What happened?"

"I _should_ have just fucked you that night!" Blake railed, gesturing at Trowa wildly. "That's what _he_ was doing! Oh..." he mimicked a falsetto voice, "but I've been with him since I was fifteen...it doesn't _mean_ anything..."

Trowa flinched.

"I hate him!" Blake ranted on, turning away a moment, then turned back to the group. He moved instantly across the room and threw himself into Trowa's arms, burying his face in Trowa's shirt.

Trowa sighed, moving to accommodate the younger man.

Wufei flashed Trowa a wicked and meaningful grin, then moved to smack Heero upside the head.

Heero snickered and smacked back as the guy walked by.

Blake pulled his eyes away to look up and around at Heero in confusion.

"I tried to seduce Wufei in about three seconds and it didn't work," Heero explained, smiling slightly at him. "The only reason I'm not in a million pieces right now is your...timely...appearance."

Blake smiled wanly at that, then looked up to Trowa briefly. He lowered his eyes, though, waiting.

"What do we have planned this weekend?" Trowa asked the room at large, meeting eyes.

"Nothing," Wufei returned, pouring alcohol into cups. "Not that I'm aware of."

"Good," Trowa returned.

It only took Wufei a few moments to have pop poured into the cups, and he moved back across the room, giving one to Matty, then stopping next to Blake and extending the second.

Blake blinked, looking at the thing, then up to Wufei. "I'm not so sure I sh..."

"You're staying the night, I'm sure," Wufei returned dryly. "It's all sorts of illegal and bad-form, but you can have _one_ drink."

Blake smiled wanly at that, wiping at his eyes before taking the cup. He sniffed at it experimentally a few times as Wufei walked back to the kitchen for the second round of drinks. "What even is this?"

"Wow," Duo muttered. "The color of what he just gave you? That amber shade? I was whiskey...the good stuff by the bottle...and I imagine you can't really _smell_ it in the cup, that's why you had to ask." He flashed a grin around at his friends, who rolled their eyes. "By the time I was your age, I'd all but been to the hospital with alcohol poisoning. Une was _pissed_ when she picked us up drunk."

"We were eighteen," Heero retorted dryly. "It was legal for us to drink then and there...we were just making a public scene...evidently we weren't stumbling straight," he added to Blake. "Thanks, Fei," he took the cup he was offered.

"So set up the machine," Trowa suggested to Matty. "We can play some stupid race game for a while, then I'll...uh...do my part."

Blake snorted and smacked at him.

Trowa laughed at that, then met eyes with Matty. He indicated Blake slightly with his head, sobering. A distraction was necessary, the pain was probably still very new.

Trowa wasn't entirely sure he appreciated the startled expression that crossed Matty's face. Somehow...that seemed a little offensive.

- -

"I'm going to the bathroom," Trowa muttered as Blake lay down on the bed. "I'll be back in a minute."

Blake smiled slightly after him, then focused across the familiar space around him...and the familiar music. He closed his eyes, wondering why he couldn't _smell_ Trowa, then blinked at the screen. The song had changed...why had the song...he closed his eyes again.

Trowa was gone.

Blake blinked as the bedroom door closed, trying to focus his eyes through the dark. He'd felt Trowa laying with him, but he was gone...and it was cold without him

Wait a minute, weren't they going to...he pushed himself up, looking around in confusion until he spotted the clock.

Six in the morning.

Wow, he'd fallen asleep...and Trowa hadn't woken him up? Trowa always woke him up...

He climbed out of the bed, stumbling slightly into the hall.

"What are you doing?" Matty whispered from the door to his room.

"I have to pee," Blake returned, stumbling that way—the only light was from under the bathroom door. "I fell asleep," he added with a grin.

"What?" Matty asked blankly.

"I fell asleep," Blake repeated. "We went to bed, and he went pee...and I just woke up."

Matty snickered.

The bathroom door opened, and they both blinked at the light.

"Oh, sorry," Trowa said quietly, closing the door most of the way behind himself. "You coming or what?" he added, running his hand across Blake's ass.

Matty snickered as Trowa disappeared back into the room.

"Why can't he want to be with me?" Blake muttered, miserable for a moment. He shook his head, though, moving toward the bathroom. "Let me go first?"

"I went already," Matty reassured him. "Trowa came in right after me and then you were here...I'd say to sleep well, but I think that part of your night is over."

"What are you two whispering about?" Heero asked tiredly.

Blake giggled, covering his mouth before darting toward the bathroom.

"Night," Matty whispered, and closed his door.

- -

"How are you feeling?"

"Huh?" Blake looked up from the cup of coffee he'd been mixing.

"How are you?" Heero repeated, moving properly into the kitchen to gather his own coffee cup. "I doubt the intelligence of sleeping with Trowa to ease your ills."

"I didn't sleep with Trowa to ease my ills," Blake snapped, glaring at him a moment. "I slept with Trowa because the sex is good."

Heero raised an eyebrow.

"It helped me forget for one fucking night," Blake glared at him even more, then dashed at his eyes and walked away.

That was probably his bad. Heero watched as the younger man disappeared back into his room, then looked around the apartment. It was quiet, and had been for the morning. The place was clean, the perimeter was always secure, and had been since they moved in...so what did that leave him to do? He didn't really like playing those games anymore. They were too easy to beat.


	12. Eleven

**A/N:** 2 of 3 updates to end the story.

**- -**

**Eleven**

Rabid had been pacing back and forth near the head table for probably an hour. He was ranting for all he was worth about the blasted E.S.A., or the damned gundam pilots...and the fuckers who had Ranger. He was grumbling about the agents of the Brazilian government he'd bribed who were flaring about the gundam they had being _sighted_, and seemed to think that Jaden understood him perfectly. It didn't matter how many times Jaden had _told_ him that he was pushing the line...and he was half-worried Rab would _realize_ he'd told Matt the base was _in_ Brazil.

He wanted it all to be done, but Qingfu was out working through their friends for a crew to pilot Illicit, because the ship was coming in.

Knowing he was leaving without Rabid...and hearing Rabid rant about all his old woes...well, it was mind numbing.

"Aren't you done _yet?_" Jaden snapped, shifting back so his chair was on two legs.

Rab's eyes locked onto Jaden's, and anger flared behind them.

Jaden attempted to scramble from his seat—the look meant he was getting hit. Unfortunately, the position he'd been lounging in, coupled with the angle of the chair, meant that he regained his feet just in time to meet the swinging fist.

The blow was stunning, and he staggered back a few steps...then fell against the wall at the next blow. Blood started to flow into his mouth, and he choked, raising his arms to protect himself as best he could. It was a moment he was far too familiar with. It had seemed that every time he turned around the first week, he was getting hit, but usually Qingfu was at hand to back Rabid down. He staggered at a blow to his side, feeling a thread of anger burning through him.

He was _not_ Rabid's _bitch_.

He turned, his fist flying...and punched Rabid in the face. The man had already been overcome with his own anger, so after the stunned moment of connection, he started his attack again.

The pain of fighting had never been enough to discourage Jaden when he was pissed, and there'd been a point when Rab had respected that...and him. He'd had to edit himself, to filter himself, more and more as Rab and Ranger got closer and closer. Ranger was the only man he hadn't been able to over-come back when he'd cared. He'd stopped himself from more than rear-actions for years, and Rab seemed to have forgotten what he'd once been.

They pummeled each other, swearing and cursing each other—and actually saying what they really felt. Jaden had a feeling that Rab wouldn't remember what he'd said anymore than Jaden himself was _hearing_ what Rab said.

"_Jaden!_"

"...worthless _bastard!_"

Rab's words rang in Jaden's ear as he stared down at the other man. Qingfu had finally returned, and before Rab and Jaden could meet eyes for more than a second, Qingfu had pulled Jaden off of Rab.

"Are you all right?" Qingfu demanded, pressing Jaden back toward a chair, studying his face and moving his hair around. He was fingering the abrasions as he did so, testing what might need stitches. "What the fuck are you doing? You're going to get yourself killed with some of the psychos here..."

"Qingfu?" Rabid breathed.

Qingfu stopped, then turned to look at the other man—he'd pressed himself up into a sitting position. He was using his left arm to brace himself there, and staring at Qingfu as if seeing him for the first time.

"You...going...to help me up?" Rab asked quietly, looking wounded.

Qingfu glanced briefly at Jaden, then turned and grabbed the man's offered forearm, yanking him to his feet. Rab stumbled slightly, still off-balance from their fight.

"You haven't been taking your meds, have you?" Jaden muttered, pulling off his shirt. He basically cupped it in both hands, then dropped his face into them. He could tell by Qingfu's reaction that he was bleeding pretty heavily, the extent of the concern meant some of them were probably pretty bad.

"I don't _have_ to take them," Rabid snapped.

Jaden pulled his face away from the shirt, noting that it _was_ rather bloody in passing, and focused on the man.

Rab glared at him.

Qingfu shifted slightly where he stood, glancing back at Jaden. He obviously wanted to look back at Jaden's wounds, but Rab had been bothered by that. The Asian man gave-in though, moving back to look at Jaden's face properly. He took the shirt and started pressing it to the spots that hurt the worst—Jaden was half wondering if it was out of _spite_.

"Great loyal men _I_ have..." Rabid grumbled.

"When we left your ass back in L.A.," Qingfu snapped back, glancing over his shoulder, "you might have done the math."

Jaden blinked at him.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Rab demanded, stepping closer.

Jaden shoved Qingfu away, rising to his feet again and glaring at Rabid.

"Dear lord, are you two _lovers?_" the man was looking between them in disbelief.

"He's just the only sane man in this god-forsaken shit-hole," Qingfu retorted.

Rab's eyes flared, then narrowed as he studied Jaden. "Kick his ass," he ordered. "If you're loyal to me, kick his ass."

"Beating the children is below you?" Jaden growled back. "You don't have Ranger bouncing around and getting pissed when people say things you don't like?"

Rab started to pull himself up.

"We left you because we knew you wouldn't stop Ranger from going after Matt," Qingfu informed the other man brightly over Jaden's shoulder. "You understand that? We _left_ you."

Rab focused on Jaden.

"We only came here to hide," Qingfu added happily. "I have some friends here yet, and so does J. We were coming here to _hide_ from your ass and those gundam pilots—though I'd take them over you."

Well...Qingfu was definitely burning this bridge, wasn't he? He must have gotten the crew he needed—and enough of one to be cocky.

The...leader's...phone beeped, and he tore his glare away from Jaden's to look at the screen...and stare.

Jaden's phone started to vibrate, and he pulled that out to consider the text sitting on his screen from Armend.

_Present and accounted for, loving_.

"It's time," Jaden muttered over his shoulder to Qingfu. "Go get our things."

Qingfu smiled brightly at him, then turned and disappeared from the room.

"What do you mean, time?" Rab asked quietly, looking up to him. "Why is the Space Ship Illicit docking? Did you get us a ship?" the tone and expression changed for that question, for the growing hope.

"No," Jaden returned, starting away backwards. "I got _me_ one."

Rab blinked at him uncertainly.

Jaden turned and started from the room, wiping his face down with his shirt as he headed for the offices.

"J, what do you mean you got _you_ a ship? You got Illicit? How did you get Illicit?" Rab was giving chase. "You didn't _say_ you were trying for a ship—and everything's happening on Earth now...we can't _use_ a space-ship...unless you mean to sell it, but then you'd have had to have gotten it cheap."

Incredibly cheap, considering that it was probably a six-billion piece of equipment. Just _what_ information had Armend gotten for the man who'd bought it?

"J?"

"My name is Jaden," Jaden snapped back, looking over his shoulder at the man. "I never _liked_ to be called J."

The man blinked at him in confusion.

"I'm done, Marshal. I'm just _done_."

Rab hesitated again, then moved forward to frown up at him. "You can't expect me not to discipline you..."

"I'm not your bitch," Jaden snapped back, wiping at his face again. There weren't that many people in the halls, and those who did pass were looking between the men in confusion. "And I won't be."

Rab opened his mouth.

"Gerrange," Jaden said seriously, stopping at the entrance to the office area. "I want you to take a moment and think _really_ hard about what I used to say about Ranger. Then I want you to take a moment to think about _why_ Qingfu and I disappeared...and now. What did I say back there?" he gestured toward the conference room they'd been in. "I got _me_ a space ship."

Rab started to draw himself up.

Jaden turned and slammed the door in the man's face, flipping the lock. "Hey, Dabid," he greeted the dark-haired man who was blinking up at him. "Set up the P.A. for me."

"Are you okay?" the man asked. "You're bleeding pretty bad...."

Jaden pulled out his firearm, cocking it and aiming it directly at the man's head.

Dabid froze.

"Set up the P.A. for me, or I'll blow your fucking head off and get pretty back there to do it," he indicated a woman he didn't know with his head, she was sitting at another desk.

Dabid stared at him a half-second longer, then reached over and picked up the receiver. Rabid started pounding on the door, having tried the knob and realizing it was locked...and he was staring at Jaden in horror.

"Here," Dabid muttered, pushing a few buttons and passing the receiver to Jaden.

"Hello?" Jaden heard his voice magnified and echoing through their entire base set up. He smiled slightly at Dabid and aimed the gun at the female as he met eyes with Rab—the man'd always had a soft-spot for pretty women, and he tended to keep his staff pretty. "Hello," he greeted the base a little more firmly. "This is Jaden Timorre...and I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm leaving."

Rabid stopped, pressing his hands against the glass.

"I've had enough of the bullshit," Jaden went on. "Enough of the over-complicated plots that have only served to make us terrorists in the eyes of _every_ government. If I had my way about it, I'd destroy that gundam and give this up as a bad job, but since I don't have my way," ...Qingfu had insisted they not destroy the machinery. "Well, I'm leaving. Some few of you may have noticed the space-ship that docked like, two minutes ago on the east side. That's mine. I have enough room for fifty-five hundred men...so if any of you are like me and _done_, I'll probably have to fight my way to it, but I'd _love_ any assistance." He dropped the phone on the cradle, still studying Rab's eyes.

The man seemed to be in shock, staring at him.

"Come along, pretty," Jaden added, gesturing the woman to him. "Rab will come out of this, and he won't shoot me with you as a shield."

"You're joking, right? As soon as you get me out of this room, I'm fucking dead-weight."

"Oh, I won't kill you," Jaden reassured her happily, moving over and pressing the muzzle to the underside of her chin. "Unless you make me."

She swallowed slightly and let him pull her to her feet.

"You'll take anyone?" Dabid asked quietly, licking his lips.

"I'm not horribly picky," Jaden returned starting for the door as Rab backed off. There were soldiers in the hall already—men who were actually loyal to the psycho, and it would be hard to talk anyone into not shooting him...not after that message.

"I'll...grab your pants," Dabid said quietly. "Say you told me you'd shoot her if I let go."

"Good man," Jaden returned. "Happy to have you with me."

Dabid made a noise.

Jaden flicked the lock on the door, stepping out slowly. "Tell the men with the pretty guns that I'll shoot the bitch."

"They know you," Rab growled back, glancing over Jaden's shoulder. "And the boy?"

"I have two sides that matter, Marshal," Jaden said quietly. "And those two sides are front and back. If he lets me go, I'll shoot the bitch."

Rabid made a gesture at the soldiers, staring at the woman—she had tears in her eyes.

"Backwards," Jaden ordered Dabid quietly moving so Jaden still had to watch the crying woman.

It was time to leave...and the more men who left with him the better.

- -

Qingfu was full-out running toward Illicit with his and Jaden's bags in his hands. People were moving everywhere, but the sweltering heat kept the buzz to a minimum. He didn't bother waiting, he knew full well that Jaden would make it out of that office fine—at least, he hoped. He hadn't known Jaden in the wars. He didn't know if the man was a War-rick or just a soldier.

"You're leaving?" someone demanded of Qingfu.

"What's it look like to you?" Qingfu retorted, barely glancing back...to see something that stopped his heart.

The man was reaching for his gun.

Qingfu started to turn, intending to throw one of the bags at the man—but a bullet is faster.

The shot was deafening...and Qingfu started to fall.

- -

The base had become a war-ground.

Jaden darted from the building he'd been in, looking around. He'd let Dabid run for his own things, and the female had served as a shield until the very end...and now he needed to actually run, because Marshal was _realizing_ that he hadn't meant to come back.

He had to be

He darted down the road, breathing in the liquid that passed for air in the place. He was already sweating, and by the time he reached the ship, he was going to be soaked through—down to his very _lungs_.

He wasn't sure how people didn't _drown_.

It didn't take too long before people were joining him, eyes sparkling and weapons in hands. Their eyes were everywhere, and none of them were bothering to ask what he was doing or why.

"Heads!" someone from behind shouted...and they all ducked as bullets binged off the side of a building in front of them...and one of the men with him turned and started to return fire.

"Holy shit!" the girl he'd been using as a shield squeaked, ducking down behind him. "You're insane! Why couldn't you have just done an underground message!"

"You're coming?" Jaden asked blankly.

"No, I'm a lawn ornament."

"Get molested much?"

She glared at him.

The soldiers around him sniggered, and he yanked her to her feet and shoved her in the direction they were running. She had a bag in her arms, and after a few more steps, she stopped long enough to pull off her high-heels.

The shots exchanged were always brief, and Jaden himself began wondering _why_ he hadn't done an underground message. That had been his plan—though, really, Rab had pushed him to it...or rather, pushed him to the end of his _own_ common sense.

They turned another corner...and something caught his eye.

A bag...with a giant Chinese character embroidered into it.

That was Qingfu's bag.

He snorted slightly, bending down to grab the thing up...then saw the blood.

His heart started beating harder.

Where was Qingfu? He should have been _to_ the ship before the message had finished...shouldn't he have?

- -

Qingfu clung to Jaden's bag, aware of hands supporting him. Other than that, the world seemed to be a mass of pastel colors—mostly grey. Every now and again he'd make out something like a boot or a hand...and the curb when he slipped on it, but he wasn't even sure _where_ he hurt.

He had to keep Jaden's bag...it had all his stuff in it...

...it hurt...really bad...that...

Things went black.

- -

"Qingfu!" Jaden darted forward to his friend—there was a ring of soldiers around the entrance of Illicit, and men shooting at them...and people were streaming by Jaden left and right. "Qingfu!"

The woman who'd been supporting him looked to Jaden nervously. "He got shot...I shot the man who shot him, but...look," she indicated a bloody hole just under the man's ribs. "He passed out on me."

"Right...thank you..._I need some help over here!_" he shouted at the people milling by. "Someone _help_ me! Medics? Any medics?"

A man who was still in pressed slacks and a shirt came running over to Jaden with pursed lips. He studied Jaden a moment, then looked down to Qingfu.

...it was the doctor. The one he'd taken Matt to see.

Time sped up.

The doctor shouted orders at passing soldiers, and before Jaden could more than blink, his friend was being hauled into the space-ship..._his_ space-ship.

He stared up at the machine in quiet astonishment a long moment, then looked around to see soldiers gesturing for him to get inside as they fell backwards. No one else seemed to really be coming but...there.

Dabid.

Jaden tore the gun off of one of the men near him and started shooting at the soldiers directly in Dabid's path. Another boy that could be no older than Matt appeared, fear and apprehension on their faces as they realized they were the last...but they didn't stop running...even when some of them fell, the last handful kept on.

Jaden didn't realize he was out of bullets until he was pummeling one of the soldiers—he'd _seen_ the man shoot one of those boys—with the stock of the weapon.

He'd never intended _this_.

The soldiers converged on him as the men that had been entering illicit moved in as well...and by. Jaden caught one man lifting one of the young men into his arms, saw the kid clinging to the man...saw another limp body...

He would _never_ forgive Marshal for this.

He turned and attacked again, drawing the majority of the attention to himself...finding a weapon from a downed soldier and using that to start shooting.

"_Timorre!_" someone shouted behind him. "_Timorre!_ We've _got_ all we can wait for! Let's _move!_"

The voice was familiar...whose voice was that?

Did it matter?

He disengaged from the soldiers, but they more or less fell back to lick their wounds, staring up at Jaden with large and scared eyes.

He staggered onto his ship, falling to his knees above the ramp as it started to close.

"Well?" Armend asked, studying him skeptically from a few steps off. "You look like you went through a meat-grinder, got sewed back together badly, and ripped the stitches open."

Jaden couldn't think of anything to say to that.

"Sir?" a video screen in front of them flared to life. "There are soldiers on top of the taller buildings, waving at us. What are your orders?"

"Orders?" Jaden asked blankly.

"Illicit can hover," the man returned. "Do we get those last men or do we go?"

"I'll take anyone," Jaden breathed.

"Right...so Armend, secure yourself and a few good men to the ship so you can catch anyone who falls if we have to run for it...quite the opening ceremony, Captain," he added happily to Jaden. "Glad to be working with you."

"You're only on loan for a week," Armend retorted.

"I'm here as long as I _want_ to be here, and if we're going to be playing adrenaline rush, I'll stay a lot longer."

"Our only adrenaline rush is getting out of here," Jaden noted darkly. "After that...I'm not sure what the _hell_ we'll do."

"Wonderfully thought out plan," Armend purred at him, snapping something around his waist.

"Back away from the ramp, anyone not tied on," the man muttered happily. "The infirmary is down the left hall there...there's a lot of people in it, you can't miss it."

"Qingfu?" Jaden asked, looking up and around.

"Bless you?" the man offered.

Jaden smiled wanly at him.

"I'll go...that's the Asian guy you ran around with, right?" Dabid asked. "I'll go see how he is..." He turned and picked up one of the men who'd been shot on the final approach, helping him down the hall.

Jaden watched as the other men there started carrying the other men...or were they bodies? Some of them looked awfully lifeless...he watched as they carried them down the hall toward the infirmary.

"Hey," Armend added quietly, yanking Qingfu's bag from Jaden's hand. "That won't help us now."

Jaden blinked, realizing that his hand was bloody from where the draw-string had dug into it...what did he _look_ like?

"You okay?" Armend asked quietly. "You look a little shell-shocked."

"Qingfu...I couldn't tell how bad he was hurt," Jaden explained, wrapping his arms around his chest as best he could—his hands felt empty without the bag or his gun in them...and that wasn't meant to have a response like 'that's what empty means' thrown at him.

"He'll be alright," Armend reassured him, smiling briefly as the air started tearing at their hair. The door was lowering. "Just you wait and see—we got some of that medicine on here...Remalene? The healing crap? We got some of that here, and it'll fix him right up."

Jaden nodded, then blinked as he realized they were hovering over the tallest building. There were several people on it, waving desperately and cheering as the machine moved in closer...and some of the men were shooting still.

Jaden grabbed a discarded rifle, checking the clip and the chamber quickly before breaking the safety node out of it.

That had no place in war.

He watched the little thing roll down the lowered walkway...and get torn off into the air.

"Ready for this?" he asked Armend, glancing up to see the man checking another rifle and breaking the safety.

Armend nodded at him.

"Then let's go be heroes, huh? I was always kinda interested in that."

"I knew you were fucked in the head," Armend informed him.

Jaden flashed him a brief grin, then started down the platform, feeling the rope that secured him slithering out behind him.

This was going to be...interesting. At the very least, it would be interesting.

- -

Matty was sitting in one of the windows of the old apartment, staring out at parking-tower below them when Heero found him. He had his arms crossed lightly, one hand cupping his elbow, the other moving up and down his upper-arm. His expression was pensive, and he looked...tired.

"What's wrong?" Heero asked quietly.

"I'm not sure," Matty returned quietly.

"Is that why you're up so early?" Heero muttered, stopping behind his boyfriend to look at the early morning light.

Matty nodded. "I got this feeling a little bit ago...disquiet."

Heero started rubbing at his shoulders, then leaned down to kiss his temple. He had no idea what he should be doing or saying...if he should say anything. He'd pissed Trowa off when he'd thought to talk to Blake, though...so maybe this wasn't a time for words?

He wished he could just figure that shit out, it'd make his life ten times easier.

Matty sighed, then smiled, rising to his feet and stepping onto the sill to wrap his arms around Heero's neck.

...well...if nothing else, it worked with Matty. He wasn't even sure what he'd done, but it had worked.

- -

"Your...bag..." Qingfu muttered, blinking up at Jaden and reaching blindly around where his hands had been. "I had...your..."

Jaden started laughing weakly as tears spilled down his face, leaning down to wrap his arms around Qingfu's neck. The laughter turned into tears, though, and he clung to his friend a long moment...before Qingfu returned the embrace.

How many people were hurt because he hadn't taken the time to forewarn anyone? If he'd done so many things...there were dead, but fortunately not many...but the number of _wounded_ was...scary. His demand that people make a split decision had torn many men away from their friends...had caused fight after fight...had people who'd been comrades five minutes before shooting at one another...all because what? He had to shove it in Marshal's face that he was leaving?

It hadn't taken much for Jaden to get Qingfu one of the only personal rooms...there were maybe ten on the ship, but Qingfu was his partner, and Qingfu deserved even that tiny space away from the...horror...in the other room.

"I got shot," Qingfu noted in vague amusement. "I really got shot."

"It can't have been the first time," Jaden retorted, pulling away and wiping at his eyes. "I wasn't even there."

Qingfu started laughing, studying his face a moment. "What's happened? Did we get away?"

Jaden nodded, running his hands through his hair. The nurse who'd been setting Qingfu up had done so, then shut the door and forced Jaden into a chair. She'd used glue on some of the cuts he had, and a needle on one—that would scar obviously and he knew it. She'd cleaned his wounds, then shown up a few minutes later with a shirt for him to wear. Armend had come in after a while with Qingfu's bag, and limping. He'd gotten his ankle grazed after they'd got the last of the...so many..._so_ many...people...

"Hey," Qingfu muttered quietly. "Come on, I have no idea why I even passed out, but you look...like clean hell."

Jaden smiled at that, feeling an odd sensation that probably would have been screaming agony if he didn't have analgesic cream all over. "You got shot, punctured a few things that shouldn't have been, and passed out before the lovely woman who shot the man who tried to kill you could even get you onto the ship."

Qingfu blinked at him.

Jaden laughed weakly, dropping onto the bed, then laying over. With that hell he'd just really put himself through, he needed a little reassurance, and if he even tried to start it with Armend the man would bed him before realizing it wasn't really what was wanted.

Qingfu sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You're so special, do you know that?"

"Men died getting here," Jaden returned quietly. "Men were wounded...badly, like you."

"I knew it would happen," Qingfu said quietly. "No matter how we did it, getting onto the ship from the base was going to stretch things...how bad was it?"

"I don't know yet," Jaden admitted. "I let them start doing their thing and have been in here since."

"You need to go get the numbers...and a head count," Qingfu pointed out. "We can't have stow-aways. Have you decided where we're going yet?"

"I want to take a poll," Jaden admitted. "So I figured the planet is seventy percent water with a lot of it unclaimed...we could find some unclaimed spot and float a few days."

"That sounds pleasant, I guess," Qingfu agreed quietly. "Did you tell them?"

"Armend has things going right now," Jaden said quietly. "He can..."

"_You_ can," Qingfu said firmly. "_Nurse!_"

Jaden sat up, blinking at Qingfu.

The door opened after a moment, and Jaden blinked as he noticed people standing around outside the door.

"Oh, you're awake," the woman who'd doctored them both muttered, moving in with reassurance through her body-language. "I'm so glad...see, Sir?" she added to Jaden. "You didn't have to fuss so much."

Jaden blinked at that—a lot of people were calling him sir, more than he'd have thought.

"Timorre needs to get a handle on things," Qingfu noted quietly.

"I'm sure the men out here would be quite willing to come in and pitch him their pleas for rank," she noted dryly, glancing at Jaden sidelong. "They're practicing with each other and trying to decide what sort of man he is."

Jaden looked to her in confusion.

"Sir...s," Armend looked into the room with bright eyes, "hello, officer...Qingfu."

"Rin," Qingfu returned dryly. "Rin Qingfu."

"Timorre," Armend added happily. "Rin-Timorre Qingfu."

Jaden narrowed his eyes at the man.

Armend laughed delightedly. "Or since it's all ass backwards anyway, would it be Timorre-Rin Qingfu?"

"Oh, wouldn't you _love_ to know our relationship?" Qingfu purred. "If I suck his dick will he give me my way...or is it that I have to talk sense? How much _sway_ do I have over him...and how much sway am I willing to give _you_."

Armend's eyes glittered evilly.

Jaden started rubbing at his temples.

"I'm afraid I don't give it up that easy, Armend," Qingfu's purr sounded almost proud.

Jaden started laughing weakly.

"Now," he added quietly, "if you don't mind, the captain wouldn't mind a status report."

"We're flying through all sorts of restricted airspace," Armend offered promptly. "Getting hailed from all sides with demands of our intent, country of origin, and to get the fuck away before they shoot us—the guys on the bridge are loving it." He looked around to Jaden. "You have some wannabe toadies waiting to lick your boots, huh? Or...whatever else...you might want licked."

Jaden started laughing outright.

"So if you'd follow me to the bridge...I'm sure Amy here will make sure your...espoused...is safe."

The woman's eyes flew to Jaden's briefly.

"Espoused," Jaden retorted dryly, rising to his feet...to see Qingfu showing Armend his ring. It had been a prize from an arcade on the base. He and Qingfu had spent a day or two fucking around in it. Jaden _had_ gotten it for him, but it had been a case of there being nothing he wanted, and Qingfu deciding he needed that ring.

Jaden snickered as Armend blinked at him...this was going to be amusing. The two men were going to run circles around each other trying to figure out who was top-dog...the only downside was that they were going to be _his_ beta...

How the hell had he become alpha?

Jaden ran a hand through his hair, looking back to Qingfu, who was smirking at him, then stopped in the door. "Oh...your bag," he added quietly. "Our bags were taken up to the captain's suite."

The smile that crossed Qingfu's face at the words was _beyond_ pleased. There was mischief, delight, and appreciation all at the same time. "Your bag, too, though? I was really trying to keep it."

"Yeah," Jaden agreed, looking down a moment at his hand. "And I got your bag..."

Qingfu gave him an interested look.

"Evidently I have to go be a captain," Jaden added dryly, then smiled and nodded at the nurse. "I'll come back as soon as I can."

Qingfu nodded his agreement and Jaden started following Armend through the infirmary. The people who were lightly wounded greeted him happily and called after him, telling him how glad they were to get away from Rab...they didn't care that they were hurt.

Jaden smiled at them as he moved through, realizing that he had an entourage behind him—the men were going around and giving out encouragements.

What had he gotten himself into?

What in _the **hell**_ had he gotten himself into?


	13. Epilogue

**A/N:** see? i told you stuff happened at the end, and doing it 2 chapters an update meant that it didn't take too horribly long to get to, i hope.

3 of 3 updates to finish the story. reviews would be appreciated.

**- -**

**Epilogue**

"Lu!"

Duo and Heero both looked up to the screen. They'd been sitting around the kitchen of the old apartment looking at a motorcycle magazine. Matty had been coerced into baking for everyone again, and the vid had beeped. Matty had answered it because the others waited until the beeping annoyed them to do so.

"Hey, guys," Lu smiled at them. "How are you doing? Well, don't tell me now. I have to talk to you."

"Okay?" Heero asked, blinking at her.

"Well...you know how the E.S.A. had to sell some ships off and the like back in 197?"

The pair nodded, confused. They hadn't talked to her in probably a month, and what was she doing?

"Well," she sighed, sitting down—she'd been standing. "Here's the thing...there's a ship called Illicit."

"You _really_ named some ship Illicit?" Duo asked in disbelief. "Like..._seriously?_"

"Oh harhar," she retorted. "I didn't do it, I have no idea who did or why they did...the fact of the matter is that Illicit is a smaller craft with less military functionality, so the E.S.A. dismembered it and got rid of the weapons. It was all set up to be a cruise ship and sold to an independent buyer."

"A space-ship," Heero noted skeptically. "An independent buyer could _afford_ a space-ship."

"Would you let me _finish?_" the woman demanded, smacking her hand on the desk.

The pair grinned at her.

She sniffed at them, sitting back. "At any rate, for reasons that we haven't fathomed quite yet, Illicit landed in that base."

The amusement left the pair in an instant as Matty leaned against the counter and crossed his arms again. That had been where Jaden and Qingfu had been headed.

"Yeah," Lu muttered, running a hand through her hair. "So...it landed there for probably fifteen minutes tops...and the whole base broke into a war-zone."

Heero looked from Matty to Duo, blinking.

"People at the base were trying to prevent others from getting on that ship. They had their own civil war with probably a hundred casualties...in fifteen minutes."

"Jaden?" Matty demanded, stepping forward.

"I knew you'd ask," she muttered dryly. "Our people were only able to find out that Illicit is _his_," she noted, looking back to Heero. "The ship got signed over to him earlier this summer. Timorre left Gerrange...and the break-up was spectacular."

"Wow," Heero noted intelligently.

"_Really_ wow," Duo agreed, running a hand through his hair.

"Where are they now?" Matty demanded, moving forward. "With the frickin' network the E.S.A. has up around the world, you can _find_ a ship."

"They didn't leave the atmosphere," she retorted. "And what are you doing asking questions? You're not even supposed to hear this."

"I'm Yuy's espoused," Matty retorted. "Soldiers _salute_ me."

She blinked at that a moment, then looked back to Heero and Duo. "Why is _he_ the one asking the pertinent questions?"

"If he wasn't, we would be," Duo reassured her.

She snorted at him, looking back to Matty. "They're in the ocean somewhere."

"Somewhere?" Matty asked dryly. "How specific."

"Pacific?" she asked happily, thinking about it. "It was the really big one between the Americas and Japan."

Heero covered his face with his hands.

Lu laughed. "I have the actual GPS coordinates if you care, which I doubt. They're down in unclaimed waters and have been since this afternoon."

"Afternoon?" Matty asked. "When did this all happen?"

"This morning around six," the woman returned easily, shrugging at him.

Heero focused on Matty sharply, and Matty blinked back at him.

"Why?" Lu asked with interest. "What is that look, Duo?"

"I have no frickin' idea," Duo retorted easily. "I've been too busy bangin' Quatre to figure them out."

Lucretzia started laughing wickedly. "You're horrible."

"Horribly sated?" the man snickered happily. "What? _What_, you two? Why aren't you telling me I'm sick and stupid or something?"

"I woke up at like...almost six this morning," Matty returned, looking back to Duo. "I had a feeling something bad was happening and couldn't sleep...until almost seven."

"Which, if I remember correctly," Lu noted happily, flipping some papers around, "is about when they got out of restricted air-space."

Duo stared at Matty.

"I think there's a reason our young casinova got along with you guys so instantly," Lu added happily, pulling out a piece of paper and showing it to the camera. "All this stuff started happening...right before ten, Timorre made some big announcement over their P.A., Illicit landed in the docking area, and all hell broke loose. At about ten after, they closed the doors—our men were torn about going or staying with Gerrange...and then the ship went up and collected soldiers from the rooftops. We have no confirmed information about that ship, its contents, its intentions...nothing. Not one of our people got onto it, Une is having kittens that not _one_ of them could be stupid and abandon their posts. The ship flew over Peru and what have you, out into uncontrolled waters, and landed somewhere off the port-bow of nowhere around eleven...which, reversing the hours, is just before six to about seven. We need to get you tested, dear youngling. You might very-well be a space-heart."

"But I'm from earth," Matty protested. "I...I was born in China and raised in New York—the first time I went into space was when I got taken hostage."

Lu tilted her head at him a moment, thinking. "Didn't you say your family came from space, though? I thought you said your uncle had gone _back_ when 27...happened...uh...where's Fei?"

"The other room," Heero reassured her. "Your lack of tact is beautiful. I'm amazed you didn't say 'asploded'," he made a hand gesture like a ball exploding.

"I don't _say_ that," she retorted primly, then frowned. "We can look into your heritage and pray you're not some earth deviant trying to fuck with the order of things...how have you been? I wanted to come help them find you when Timorre grabbed you...are you okay? I couldn't get around yet then."

"I'm...fine," he noted quietly, focusing on the middle-distance. "How are _you?_ I wouldn't expect you to be back at work yet."

"I'm not really supposed to be," she admitted with a grin. "I can walk around and stuff, but I still get tired easy. I'm not supposed to strain myself at all for another like...month or something. It's annoying. I have to use a _cane_, can you believe that shit? I feel like a gimpy old lady out trying to find her teeth or her cats."

Matty snorted at her.

She laughed and shook her head. "Anyway, even off-duty I have the clearance to pass you lot information. Somehow when I do it, things get across...and you don't complain. Whoever it was that called you when I got hurt got, he got bawled out for whatever he did."

"Tapped our vid-line through our TV when we were in a party," Duo explained happily. Lu flinched. "Not only that," Duo went on easily, "but he didn't even _try_ to _call_. He just linked to the line and gave us a urgent warning—in the middle of a boxing match with about thirty of Trowa's co-workers around the area. Fortunately, he had enough sense not to _say_ our names."

She groaned, running a hand down her face.

"Oh yeah, it was beautiful. We got the 'get here now' message, and by the time we got up there things had quieted down...except for them breaking atmosphere."

"Qingfu did that," Matty noted as the thought occurred to him. "He told me one of the times we were all talking. He said that he'd scrambled the codes for the satellites, but whatever you guys did broke his access."

Heero smirked slightly.

"Anyway," Lu muttered, shifting where she sat. "It was decided that calling you and giving you information wasn't a strain on my person body or soul, so I could do it. I was also told that we couldn't chat for more than an hour, and I think there's some bored soldier around here with a stopwatch."

Matty giggled, moving forward. "Okay...chatter! Trowa fucked Blake."

Lu stared at him.

"Matty!" Duo protested as Heero started laughing.

Matty bounced more. "Oh my god! Trowa's like, trying to _date_ my sister!"

"Sister?" Lu asked blankly. "You have a sister?"

"And she just turned seventeen," he agreed wryly. "My dad is all sorts of exasperated."

"Wait a minute...Blake?" Lu shook her head. "Who's Blake? That _guy_ you work with? Trowa fucked a _guy?_"

Matty nodded as he laughed happily.

"It wasn't only once?" Heero offered when the woman looked to him in confusion. "It was like... a couple months worth...until the guy got a boyfriend. Now they've broken up and I think he's been here daily since."

Lu started laughing wickedly, covering her mouth with one hand.

"And yeah?" Duo muttered, "the seventeen year old only _turned_ seventeen maybe two months ago...at the most."

The woman snickered more.

"Wufei espoused Jinli," Heero added. "We haven't set up this apartment for anything proper yet," he gestured behind them, "and...oh! Matty started college!"

Lu squeaked, processing all of that before looking to Matty. "Why haven't you _called_ me?"

"You want me to?" Matty returned. "I mean...where it's not all official? I forgot that part when noting Trowa was plowing my best friend."

She started laughing and nodded. "Call my cell and we can chitter about it all—and I can complain to you about my damned body. If I mention it to Zechs he informs me that its fine and tries to screw me."

Heero snickered—he'd probably say the same thing if she said that to him.

Lu gave Heero a level look.

"So...officially...what?" Duo muttered.

"We're not sure yet," she sobered, looking back to him. "Officially it's all under investigation pending nightfall. At that point we should have something to tell you—but it's looking like there are only ten thousand men in Brazil now."

"Would you consider Brazil _under_ eighty feet of jungle?" Heero asked sweetly.

The woman gave him a blank look.

Duo laughed and waved it away. "Don't ask—we have some special friends. We'll wait for your return. Please note that as the espoused of Heero Yuy, Mattox Williams can take these calls and information, and as the espoused of Chang Wufei, Wong Jinli is also able to take these calls."

Lu grinned at that and nodded her head, starting to write on a piece of paper. "So...noted..." she looked up. "Mr. Williams, please be advised that calls of a sensitive military nature may contain orders that you are therefore expected to convey to your espoused and his comrades. If it is deemed necessary, you will also be expected to go to the base itself and give the orders to the commander there-of, and or relay orders, messages, or specific instructions to military operatives, police officers, or specific soldiers. The people contacting you will clearly state any and all expectations, and barring acts of god, you are expected to follow these orders as if you yourself are Brigadier General Heero Yuy."

Matty nodded.

"For recording purposes, legal records, and consistent data, we ask for verbal confirmation," she added. "If you have any questions at all, please ask them now."

"Will I have to act in place of Heero?" Matty asked, moving closer to the screen.

"Only in-so-much as conveying orders or information. Code-words will be supplied if the information is of a suitable nature, and your phone will shortly be connected to the military database so information can be exchanged."

"Alright," Matty muttered, pursing his lips as he thought. "Am I considered part of the E.S.A.?"

"Yes," she returned. "With rank nearly equal to your espoused. Understandably, without the training, your rank only extends to intellectual purposes, not actual action, though orders coming from you issued from Yuy or the E.S.A. will be acted on as if you are the general in question."

"Can I relay orders from Maxwell, Winner, Chang, or Barton as well?"

She pursed her lips as she thought about that. "In this situation, as you're all roommates, any order they give you will be approved of by Yuy," she returned. "And therefore of Yuy, so yes."

"If I went through basic training and those training courses necessary...would I be...considered the same as Heero?" his eyes were sparkling.

"Yuy is a war-rick, Mr. Williams. He's had years of service in-field...and his training was specific. I don't think there is a way you could fully act in his stead—and you would not be given missions...aside from the aforementioned conveyances."

"You're hot when you're all legal," he whispered at her.

She flashed him a brief grin.

"I...I understand," he added, running his hand through his hair.

"Do you accept this responsibility?"

"Yes, willingly and under no duress," he agreed.

"Thank you, Mr. Williams-Yuy," she smiled at him. "Within the hour you will receive a text message from central. Follow those instructions and you'll be connected to our database."

"Alright."

"Is...Mr...Wong around?" she added. "I may as well kill two birds with one stone."

"Unless you're gonna eat it," Matty noted dryly, "I suggest you kill _no_ birds."

"Oh haha," she retorted.

"Jin!" Duo shouted toward the new apartment. "Connect your vid!"

There was a moment of silence before the screen split in two, showing Jinli sitting on the couch in the living-room. "What?" he asked blankly.

"Hello, Mr. Wong-Chang," Lucretzia returned happily. "I'm not sure if you remember me or not. I'm Colonel Lucretzia Noin. As the espoused of Brigadier General Chang Wufei, I need your visual and audio confirmation. With this confirmation, we will add you to the military network, and..."

- -

"We're seriously espoused."

Wufei stepped back from Jinli blankly. "Yeah, I know..."

"No...like _seriously_," Jinli protested, studying him. "You really _are_ paying my taxes, aren't you, fucker?"

"_Our_ taxes," Wufei returned dryly. "What's this about?"

"Colonel Noin contacted me today."

"Ooh, she did?" Wufei perked up. "How is she? Is she...wait...colonel? It was official?"

"Yeah," he agreed. "I am now certified to carry your orders, their orders for you, or their orders for the base here."

Wufei smirked.

"And...on the network," he showed his phone to Wufei. "How in the _fuck_ are we espoused?"

"We haven't fucked yet," Wufei pointed out, moving around him into his room properly. "Is that what you're doing in here?"

Jinli gave him a look.

Wufei laughed, tossing his bag down and sitting on the bed. He'd gone into the doctor, and had bronchitis of all things. His chest was aching and his throat hurt, his entire body was sore, and he wanted to lay back down.

"So...what?" Jin asked, looking to the bag he was holding. "What did they say?"

"I'm contagious, and we're all going to die horrible deaths in three-days time. They've quarantined us and so we may as well fuck before we die."

"Just because you're horny doesn't mean I'm interested," Jinli retorted. "And I wouldn't fuck you if you were the last man on earth—now it's the principal of the thing."

Wufei laughed weakly, dropping over onto his bed. "Bronchitis. I get to stay home from work and take nasty medicine and feel like shit."

"Joy," Jinli sat on the bed next to him and sighed, making the gesture for him to roll over.

Wufei obliged, closing his eyes as the other started massaging his back.

"I don't understand what the hell happened to my life," Jin muttered after a while. "I barely got things normal and the girl I thought was the one runs off on me...and not even six months later I'm espoused of one of the biggest fucking names in the military and can now order soldiers around."

"At least I'm not alone," Wufei said quietly, wondering if his lungs would ever stop hurting. "I was with them and alone...I don't want to be alone..."

Jin didn't say anything, realizing again the extent of things he'd missed. Wufei had been so beyond depressed it was scary, but since they'd started hanging out again, he'd come out of it...but then again, Wufei's mother had baked them cookies and taken them to a movie when Wufei hadn't gotten the marks he'd wanted on a test, and his own mother had...had...

Wufei turned to look up at him.

"Why can't I forget?" Jin hissed, leaning over beside his friend. "Why can't it all just go away?"

Wufei draped an arm over him briefly, then rolled over so they could lay back to back. "Trust me when I tell you that alcohol doesn't help."

Jin made a vaguely amused sound, then pressed his face into Wufei's back.

Wufei was right...they weren't alone...and that made all the difference in the universe.

- -

Trowa sighed as he sat back in his car, watching Blake head up to his apartment. He was staying the night again, and Trowa was getting that foreboding feeling that he had to talk to the guy about their relationship. He didn't want to do it, it'd only been a week since the breakup, and the other asshole couldn't even make it clean and just go away, and what with transference of emotions...

Someone tapped on the window—well, Trowa'd seen him moving up but thought he was admiring the car. He wouldn't be the first one to want the stats on the machine.

He rolled down the window.

"Who the _fuck_ do you think you are?" the guy snapped—he looked about twenty-one.

"I think I'm bigger'n you," Trowa noted with interest. "So what's it matter?"

"You're the fucker that Blake ran to?" the guy snapped.

Oh.

Trowa felt a delicious thread of malice course through his system, slamming the car-door open and rising as he studied the younger man.

The guy stepped back slightly, but only slightly.

"You're the fucker who was cheating on him?" Trowa snapped, closing his car door.

"Shit!" Blake snapped, coming from the apartment and dropping his bag. "Darren, get out of here!"

"Don't want me hurting your bitch?" Darren asked snidely.

Blake started to open his mouth.

Trowa decided on expedience. He didn't feel like petty insults or a bitch-fight...so he grabbed the guy by the throat and slammed him against his car. "You best leave _now_, boy," he growled.

The guy focused on him in disbelief, and after a moment Trowa realized he was struggling against his grasp.

He let go.

For all that the guy looked about as big as Trowa's thumb, he must have had small-man syndrome, because he knew how to _fight_. Trowa blocked the first punch with ease, feeling a thrill, then started laughing as the guy _kept_ moving. From form to form he was trying to attack, but it was far _too_ much form. It wasn't quite the same as either Wufei or Heero, but there was a definite hint of formal Asian training.

After a few minutes of being amused by this, Trowa realized that Blake was railing against them both. He had grabbed his bag and tossed it into the car, and seemed to be begging Trowa to end the fight.

For all that Trowa didn't want to deepen their relationship, this guy _had_ cheated on Blake, and he _did_ like Blake. Not only that, but the wiry little fucker thought he could out-fight a war-rick bastard who'd been on the battlefield as long as he could remember...and Blake wasn't clarifying if he was scared _for_ Trowa, or _for_ the other.

Trowa turned into one of the guy's forms, ducking the arm that came up and seeing the alarm in the man's eyes...before slamming him to the pavement. They rolled for a time, but Trowa knew full-well that cop-involvement would land him in deep shit, so he couldn't kick the guy's ass.

He really _really_ wanted to, though, dammit...

_Whoa!_

Trowa dodged away backwards from a blow he would have never expected, getting chased for the effort until he landed on the hood of his car, squatting down over the wheel-well and studying his opponent with a grin. "Okay, you're fun."

Darren stopped totally, staring at him in disbelief.

"Just _get_ in the _car_..." Blake begged for the millionth time.

"You want a real fight," Trowa suggested, ignoring the other, "then you'll need to waive your civilian rights. I've been trained in hand-to-hand since I was six, fought before there was a war, was a part of _both_ wars, and am now in the military proper. I'm sure you've noticed my lack of...inclusion in this little foray," he gestured at the ground. "Because legally if I strike you it's my head on a platter. You wanna fight me? Waive those rights."

"Waived," Darren snapped at him.

Blake stared at him in horror.

"I waive those rights, fucker."

"Wonderful," Trowa purred...and launched off the car.

- -

"Winner!"

Quatre looked up from the file he'd been scanning to Colonel Kiardane.

"Winner!" the man moved into the room and slammed the door shut. "Barton is in a street-fight with Blake's ex."

Quatre started laughing, slapping his hands to his face. "Don't worry, Trowa can't do..."

"He waived his civilian rights."

The amusement was gone as soon as it came. Waiving those rights meant freeing Trowa from the penalties that would come for attacking a civilian. Waiving those rights meant that the civilian courts would handle no part of it.

Waiving those rights gave _Trowa_ rights just shy of killing.

"Blake is freaking out and doesn't know if he should call the cops or not..."

"Well then," Quatre muttered, moving past the man. "It's far past time for us to _move_."

It didn't take him long to have a handful of his men with him as they headed for the residential area Blake lived in. The man's father was a ball of stress in the passenger seat, but no one else was very bothered. Quatre himself wasn't more than exasperated that he had to go order his friend to stand-down...poor Blake.

He shook his head as they turned onto the road and parked the car so it blocked traffic. It didn't matter anyway, because with the way Trowa and the guy were moving across the pavement, the only thing _safe_ was fucking Blake.

Blake gave Quatre a heart-broken look, gesturing at the pair.

"Trowa," Quatre said casually.

Trowa stopped, pulling back from the fight and wiping at his mouth, blocking the other man. "Already?" he demanded. "But I haven't kicked his ass yet."

"You're the one who was playing," Quatre retorted.

"I'll stop that now," Trowa informed Quatre with a look of seething pride, excitement, and something darker. He moved in on the other man, and the guy was backing away. The other guy wasn't half-bad, actually. He avoided most of the strikes, but he still had to back away.

Quatre sighed and Blake moved to cling to his father.

When the violence fully exploded, Quatre was ready. As Trowa started his last series of strikes that _could_ kill a man, Quatre slid into the breach and blocked. The other man fell to the ground, winded, and Quatre stopped reacting to give Trowa a dirty look.

Trowa started _laughing_. It was the laugh he had when he'd pissed someone off, or when he'd said something _he_ thought was hilarious...a true heart-felt laughter, but very _cold_...very distant. Trowa'd disengaged himself from the full situation, which meant he'd been fully involved at one point. He'd probably scared himself by caring.

"Okay...okay," Trowa muttered, backing away. "I wanted to put him in the hospital but Blake _had_ to call his dad and not the cops..."

"You'd be in jail all night if he called the cops," Quatre retorted.

"He thinks he's hot shit," Trowa returned in a low voice, eyes locked onto Quatre's. The duality of _Trowa_ was very evident in that look. His eyes were intent, his _mind_ was intent that Quatre understand, but his emotions were not...he didn't _care_.

"You're such a bastard," Quatre whispered back. "If you don't stop, I'm going to walk away."

Trowa's amusement evaporated like smoke, and the smile faded from his face. He stepped back, dropping his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest.

"I didn't say I needed you contrite," Quatre noted pointedly.

"He hurt Blake," Trowa returned in a quiet voice, looking away. "This shit is getting too deep, Quatre..."

"You to Heero's point I take it?" Quatre muttered with a sigh, moving away and running his hands through his hair. "You don't know what you're doing?"

Trowa didn't reply.

"Take them in," Quatre ordered Kiardane. "Blake, get in the car and I'll take you to the apartment."

"What?" Blake asked blankly. "Why..."

"Your ex waived his civilian rights, right? So he and Trowa can both go into fucking confinement for an hour until they calm their shit down, and we'll go from there."

Blake stared at him.

"Get in the car," Quatre ordered levelly, then looked around to the ex in question who was watching the soldiers who'd grabbed him in confusion. Trowa was staring Patel down, but none of the others would approach him. "Trowa," Quatre snapped. "If you cause _any_ more shit, I'll kick your ass myself."

"I will not stand down to _them_, Quatre," the man returned coldly. "Don't even pretend that shit with me."

"We have to get your god damn car back to the house, don't we?"

"The keys are in the ignition, and Blake can drive."

"Can he drive _stick_, asshole?"

"Very well," Trowa purred.

Quatre laughed in spite of himself as the soldiers exchanged skeptical looks.

"I had him drive my car," Trowa snapped, looking up to Quatre again, pointedly.

"I can...drive it, Quatre," Blake said quietly.

"Then go," Quatre hissed, staring back into Trowa's eyes. "You don't need to see what I'm going to do to him."

Blake fidgeted uncomfortably for a moment, then looked helplessly to his father. When no other help or instructions came, he turned and moved to the car. He started it right up, and after a moment, drove away.

Quatre pointed at the van they'd driven in.

Trowa snorted, looking scathingly to the other male, then moved with all pride to the van and climbed in without a backwards glance.

"He really would have made me subdue him, wouldn't he?" Patel demanded, rejoining Quatre.

"You couldn't subdue him," Quatre returned dryly. "He's the strongest of us five. He'd have put you on the ground and made _you_ stand down."

Patel blinked at him.

"Never underestimate the power of a pissed off apathetic," Quatre suggested as he climbed into the driver's seat. "It's all _sorts_ of _asshole_."

"And you wouldn't have done the same?" Trowa retorted as a solider climbed in next to him.

"I wouldn't have fucked around," Quatre retorted.

"You also don't _fight_," the brunette agreed dryly. "If you did, you'd understand the draw of someone you don't know who can hold their own."

"You know what, Patel?" Quatre muttered, sliding from the driver's seat. "He's being a dick. You drive. I might have to kill him."

Patel snickered, sliding into the driver's seat.

"Um, Sir," Kiardane muttered, "you realize I have to report..."

Quatre flashed the man a dirty look.

"Uh, nevermind," Kiardane looked away.

"That's a good call," Trowa noted.

"_You_ are just a fucker," Kiardane retorted, giving him a look. "You just did that..._why?_"

"Blake told me he didn't want to see me anymore," Darren said quietly.

"And _why_ is that?" Trowa prompted.

"Fuck you."

"You cheated on my son," Kiardane said quietly. "I'm not _talking_ to you."

The other men in the car exchanged looks.

"Let's just get to the base," Trowa sighed, sliding down in his chair. "I want to go talk to Duo."

"You're feeling all sorts of interesting things," Quatre noted dryly in French. "And you can't tell which is which."

"Leave me alone," Trowa retorted in English.

"Sir?" Kiardane asked hesitantly.

"I know very well what I'm feeling," Trowa noted pointedly to Quatre, also in French. "This is not the place to talk about it."

Quatre rolled his eyes and focused forward.

- -

"So, in the end," Une muttered, shifting back in her seat, "we have some five thousand men on a space-ship doing _god_ knows what for god really knows _what_ reason. No one can tell for certain if it was an orchestrated detachment or if it was a real split, and that ship is in unchartered waters...as Noin muttered, off the port bow of nowhere. Basically, we have nothing."

"Which is about what we had when this all went down," Duo snorted slightly. "And we get Trowa picking a street-fight for good measure to make it a beautiful day."

"He didn't," she protested, staring at Duo a moment, then rolled her eyes. "You five will be the death of me yet..."

"Even if it's only _because_ we pulled the trigger," Duo agreed dryly.

She gave him a level look.

He shrugged innocently at her.

"Get some men to infiltrate," Heero ordered, gesturing vaguely at the screen as he thought. "Probably two of the men with Gerrange. We don't want anyone going in alone, but we also don't want too many fingers in the pot."

"And just how do we get them to Illicit?" Une asked levelly, narrowing her eyes at him. "What's your great master plan for that? And where do you get off giving me orders?"

"Une," he said levelly, meeting her eyes, "in case you didn't understand, I was _giving_ the orders...and _not_ to you. I assumed you'd pass them off to someone else who could pass them off to someone else, who might think about getting something done before passing them off to someone else."

Duo sniggered.

She tsked at them.

"So," Heero added, rising to his feet, "I'll get my orders to the base and someone there can hand them off."

"I already _gave_ those orders, Yuy," she pointed out.

"Then why in the world are you claiming we have nothing?" Heero protested as he sat again. "We need at least a week to verify that."

She snorted at him.

"You know you love me," Heero retorted dryly, giving her a look. "And you know I get shit done."

"Okay, fine," she muttered. "Now that I've had my inferior throw my orders back in my teeth and been told to shove it, what do you think that leaves us?"

"You need to lay off the caffeine," he informed her dryly, looking through his notes. "And get laid."

"So kind of you to suggest," she snapped.

Duo covered his face with one hand.

Heero flashed her a grin. "I'd offer," he noted happily, "but I'm rather happily taken...maybe Trowa or Wufei will oblige you."

"Don't you _dare_ think I won't come down there and kick your ass myself," she informed him.

"Ooh, good idea," he met her eyes brightly. "Then we can take you out to a bar and get you laid. What else should I say? How much pushing will it get for you to come chase me down?" He smirked wickedly at her. "You'll forgive me, of course, but I highly doubt you'd hurt me much."

The woman covered her eyes with one hand as well.

"This is all him," Duo informed her happily. "This is absolutely no outside influence."

Une started laughing weakly.

"No?" Heero protested, looking between them. "Do I have to get chauvinistic? Or should I do the bastard one? I suppose I could cajole you...sex is wickedly wonderful, and one-nights can be delightfully naughty."

She started laughing a little harder.

Heero grinned, glad he'd managed to get _that_ right, at least.

"I really want to hate you sometimes, Heero Yuy," she informed him, sitting up again. "But somehow I can never quite manage it."

"It's my charm and charisma," Heero reassured her easily. "I...confuse peoples emotions."

She slapped her hand to her face again as Duo groaned audibly.

Heero laughed himself, grinning at his friend a moment before running a hand through his hair as he considered his notes. "So what are the actual GPS coordinates? And how much are they moving?"

She sighed, sounding a little disappointed. "And here I thought we were having a conversation..."

"You call that a conversation?" Duo asked blankly, studying her in disbelief. "Are you _sure?_"

Une started snickering.

**_End_**


End file.
